Love and Warfare
by MistressTriss
Summary: During the Wave mission Sakura gets absorbed into a video game, the way to level up? Preform heroic deeds and well mature content. The game of Love and Power, who will win? The one that fights for love or the one who fights for power?
1. Prologue

**I do not own Naruto in any way or shape or form, I do however own the plot and my OOC's that I have planted in this story.**

* * *

Sakura looked at him, her heart fluttering in her chest. She couldn't believe how he and Naruto were so calm and strong when they were faced with Kakashi-sensei trapped inside that water prison. Even when Kakashi fainted neither of them freaked, well Naruto did but that blonde always freaked.

She was sitting next to Kakashi waiting for him to wake up. Naruto and Tazuna were in the other room fighting again. That left her in the room across from Sasuke. Just thinking his name made her heart speed. She just really wanted him to look her way, smile, love her... Anything really.

"Sasuk-"

"Shut up." She tensed when his cold eyes landed on her form. They looked menacing, anger swirling around in his black eyes.

"Bu-"

"Shut up." He said again, malice seemed to be dripping from his words, "You're annoying."

Those words hurt, but she wasn't going to let him know that, "But Sasuk-"

"Shut up."

"I-I-" She was at a loss of words now, he looked like he was digging in his pouch for a weapon.

"You're weak." He spat at her, "Useless." She flinched, what in the world did she do to have him acting like this?

She felt it like a dagger taken to her heart, those words kept swirling around in her head. She couldn't stand being in here any more. She got up and took off, out the door, past the arguing males, past Tsunami who was cooking in the kitchen, and out the front door. She kept running and running, dodging branches and trunks as she entered the forest. She ran until her legs gave out and she crashed to the ground. Tears blinded her as she tried to pull herself up from the ground, they spilled over and coated her cheeks in the salty water.

Why did he say those things? She wanted to scream but some how knew he was right. She was weak and useless. She was annoying. Both him and Naruto had to protect her, why couldn't she protect herself? She started to pound her fists into the ground out of rage and frustration mixed with depression.

She felt her energy leave her, she laid on her stomach in the grass. Tears still rushed from behind closed eyes. She shook like a leaf, heaving with silent sobs that escaped her mouth.

* * *

Sasuke blinked, what the fuck just happened? Sakura was there looking at him and trying to talk to him but every time she had said something she was cut off. She even flinched when he called her name, she looked at him as if she thought he was going to kill her. Pure fear and hurt swam in her eyes. Then she got up and shot out of the room so fast he barely had time to register that she had indeed left the room.

"TEME!" The door flung back open and Naruto stood there in his pissed off glory, "What the HELL did you do to Sakura-chan!"

He stalked over to Sasuke, "I don't know."

That confused Naruto, "Why the hell was she crying then?"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't know."

"Okay." Naruto had calmed down and took Sakura's spot. "She probably just needs some space right now." It was odd, Naruto was being smart for once.

* * *

Sakura rolled over onto her back and rubbed her eyes, she slowly sat up. Her legs were sore and her fists hurt like hell. Looking at them she could see the dried blood that scabbed her knuckles and the purpling of her skin around the scabs. She sure did a number to her fists. Bruised and injured. She sighed and looked around finally noticing her surroundings.

She was sitting in a clearing, a dent was made in the grass behind her from her fists earlier. She shuttered feeling the icy wind that was probably what had woken her up. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them tightly against her chest.

She looked around some more. She had no idea where she was, let alone how she was supposed to get back. She spotted a convenient tree whose large roots were above ground forming a small cave, small enough to fit her body and cut off the freezing wind. She could stay there for the night, then in the morning she'll head out in search of Tazuna's house.

She crawled to the tree, she was too cold to actually get up and move. She tucked herself into the small opening just wishing that she had never fallen for Sasuke. The memory of her heart breaking rewound in her head, replaying that terrible scene over and over again as she slowly succumbed to the darkness once again.

* * *

Kakashi woke up, the first things he happened to see were Naruto's and Sasuke's worried faces. "What happened?" He mumbled out, his head hurt slightly.

"You fainted." Naruto said, weird he wasn't being loud like he normally is. "Sakura's gone missing."

Kakashi's eye widened, so that was for the odd behavior. "What?" He just had to make sure he heard them correctly.

"She's been gone for two days." Sasuke answered him.

Kakashi felt panic gripping his veins, no not another one. "Have you even looked for her?" He asked urgently, casting his eye between the two boys.

"Yes." Naruto answered instead of Sasuke, "We searched all yesterday, where ever she has gone we can't find her."

"Come on, were going to look for her right now." Kakashi said trying and failing to get up off the ground.

"You're still too weak to do that." Naruto said pushing Kakashi back down on the bed. This was strange behavior indeed. He must still be asleep.

"I expect her to be found then Naruto." He glared up at the blonde, even if this was still a dream his full team had to be kept safe and sound.

* * *

Sakura struggled to move, something was holding her down. She opened her eyes gasping as she pushed herself up and out of the water. The rapids pushed her under once more. She was training her body. She had spent the better part of her day trying and failing to find her way back yesterday. Now though she was only clad in her underwear and bra fighting against the rapids that lead to a very tall waterfall. If she were to fall down with the water nothing could save her.

She pushed herself up and out of the water again. This time she snagged the shore and pulled her battered body out of the water. She'd take another breather before walking back up to the beginning of the rapids. She laid flat on her stomach gulping the air greedily. She could feel her sore muscles but she was going to push herself until she knew she would no longer survive against the rapids again.

She heaved herself up to her elbows and knees. She would never be called weak again. Never again. She wouldn't be weak, she wouldn't be useless. She would never let a man break her heart again. No more. She was Sakura Haruno and she was going to make sure her name became legendary. She pushed herself up to her feet and moved slowly but strongly to the start of the rapids.

Placing a foot on top of the casually moving water she channeled her chakra into her feet the same way she had seen Kakashi and Zabuza do during their fight before that hunter nin had taken Zabuza out. She walked shakily to the middle of the river, turning to face the rapids. She would concur them this time. She thought determinedly.

She placed her feet one at a time, one in front of the other bringing herself closer and closer to the roaring rapids. She felt her concentration wavering slightly as she wobbled slightly when the water beneath her began to pick up it's pace. She shook her head and went back to concentrating. She stayed still until she was sure that her next step would be solid.

She took a few more steps, there she was now in the rapids and still a float. Her happiness was shattered after that thought and her concentration wavered, yet again she took another plunge into the ruthless water.

* * *

A figure watched the girl pull herself out of the water terribly close to that immense drop. She was breathing hard and shuttering, but she wasn't going to quit. She would be absolutely perfect, the person thought as she saw the girl raise herself up off the ground and walk back to her starting point again.

This girl was sure interesting, the pink hair and emerald green eyes were sure uncommon among humans. She was absolutely perfect. An amused smile stretched across their face, of course a heroine always needed a villain to battle. The person slipped quietly to the pinkette's clothes as she plummeted into the water once more. Slipping a book out of their robes and tucking it into her discarded clothes. Now all they had to do was find a villain and the games would finally begin.

"Let this be the first chapter of love and war." The person whispered slowly disappearing into the woods once more, "Entertain me my dear, show me who is more powerful... The one fighting for love, or the one fighting for power?" They looked over their shoulder as the girl dragged herself out of the water once more, this was going to be a legend in the making. The person cackled quietly and melded into the scenery in search for the one who would play as the villain in their twisted idea of a fairy tail.

* * *

**Well here is the prologue, the actual chapter one will be up soon. Reviews are welcome advice! Please fill free to give ideas :)**

**Ja Ne **


	2. Chapter 1

Sakura pulled herself out of the water for the last time that day, at least she was closer to her goal. She had to call it quits, her last time she had gotten too close to the dangerous drop. She still had a little bit of energy, but not enough to make sure she didn't go over the edge.

She shifted herself back up and walked, well stumbled towards her clothes. Maybe she should let herself dry off some more before dressing.

She sat heavily next to her clothes breathing hard still. She could see a lump inside of her clothes. That was weird, she thought reaching forward to move her clothes out of the way. Her hands brushed a leathery surface.

She stared at the now exposed leather bound book. There was no writing on it what so ever, it was completely blank. She stroked the binding as if trying to find some sort of indention that would give away the title of said book.

She picked it up carefully, slowly bringing it to her. She placed it in her lap and carefully opened the cover.

On the inside of the book it was devoid of any lettering or words except one line that told her to place blood above the line at the bottom. She stares at it. It could be a trap, but really what did she have to loose?

She bit open the pad of her thumb. She watched as the blood bubbled up and out of the wound, she watched as a drop fell down onto the page right above the line.

She watched as the words disappeared and her blood. Then the pages began to move on their own, flipping to about the middle of the book.

Then it suddenly stopped.

At the top of the page a blinking cursor began to type words out on to the page.

**Select Avatars Name:**

She stared at the words confused before a key board became visible at the bottom of the page. She typed in her name.

**Congratulations**** Sakura Haruno. You have been selected to play as the hero of Love and Warfare...**

She blinked, what in the world was going on.

**Please select Avatar's type:**

**Mage Brawler or Knight brawler.**

She looked at the two choices confusedly, what in the world did Mage brawler mean or Knight brawler. Admittedly the Mage brawler did look more enticing than Knight brawler did. She touched the Mage brawler's button.

**You have selected Mage Brawler, in other words a castor ninja, or a wizard shadow mover. **

The book rapidly turned more pages but backwards towards the beginning of the book.

**Welcome Sakura Haruno, Mage Brawler.  
**

**Realm: Elemental**

**No. of players in realm: 1**

**Maximum No. of players in realm: 2**

**Multi realm gaming: Disabled**

Sakura was beyond confused. What was this blasted book talking about?

**Game objectives;**

**1) To become the strongest person alive.**

**2) In hero mode, to protect all loved ones.**

**3) In hero mode, to keep chaos under control.**

**4) In hero mode, bring about peace.**

Okay this was starting to sound interesting to Sakura, she paid more attention as the book kept scrolling down with more words.

**Rules;**

**1) No one must seek out the maker of this game.**

**2) No rape, or sexual abuse while in Hero mode.**

Those sound like easy enough rules to follow, she thought. Then the paged turned.

**How to level up...**

**1) Complete guests. **

**2) Train harder.**

**3) Sexual encounters.**

Wait what? Sakura blinked rereading number three.

**4) Protecting the innocent.**

This game will certainly be interesting she thought watching as the book began to turn a few pages.

**Stats **

**Level: 1 newbie**

**No. of XP points until next level: 0/1000**

**Stat points: 0**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 16**

**Speed: 14**

**Stealth: 8**

**Acrobatics: 11**

**Dexterity: 15**

**Endurance****: 14**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 12**

**Castor levels: 12**

**Chakra levels: 12**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: None**

**Skill points earned: 0**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 0**

Well that sucked, all her numbers were low. She watched as 'buttons' appeared at the bottom.

**Skill tree, Quests, Trophy page, Perk page, Map**

The map might be useful to get back to Tazuna but she was still curious as to what the others were meant to be. Her fingers hovered over the quests button. She was second guessing herself, maybe she could just close the book at leave it behind. Or she could use the map to find her way back to her team, her fingers moved towards the map.

In the end she pressed the Perk page.

**Perks**

**Abilities very similar to Kekkei Genkei given as a perk. Each must be earned and unlocked. Requirements to unlock a certain perk will show up when you have reached a level that said perk can be unlocked at. In addition the more Kekkei Genkei's that one comes across the more perks will be added.**

That sounded too good to be true, but if it was she could very well be the strongest woman alive.

**Joker's card**

**Costs 15 perk points**

**Escape Artist **

**Costs 20 perk points**

**Iron will**

**Costs 22 perk points**

**Devil's luck**

**Costs 25 perk points**

**Perfect body clone**

**Costs 30 perk points**

**Blank creation**

**Costs 40 perk points **

**Timeless body**

**Costs 56 perk points**

Some of these sounded very interesting, the blank creation one was captivating her attention.

"Might as well see what they all are about." She mumbled and ran over the first perk.

**Joker's card: Locked until level three**

**This perk allows the user to always be the wild card making them hard to predict and random.**

This would always come in handy if she was fighting against Kakashi or some one who had the Sharigan. She went to the next one.

**Escape artist: Locked until level six**

**This perk makes the user impervious to traps, one is now able to escape all traps.**

Well that sure is useful, too bad she was really far away from level six. She sighed and moved onto the next one.

**Iron will: Locked until level seven**

**This perk makes the user strong enough to endure all sorts of torture, adds 45 stat points to Endurance and Dexterity.**

She looked at that one rereading it once more. It would help if she was caught by some enemy ninja but the likely hood that that would happen, especially to a Genin would be zero to none...Hopefully. She moved onto the next one.

**Devil's luck: Locked until level nine**

**This perk makes the user the luckiest person alive, leveling off the luck stat.**

She smiled that would be cool. After this she should go and see what luck had to actually offer towards her leveling up. She moved on.

**Perfect body clone: Locked until level thirteen**

**This perk allows the user to transform into another person right down to the DNA.**

Perfect for infiltration missions, she thought as she moved to the next one.

**Blank creation: Locked until level twenty**

**This perk allows the user to create a blank empty body in which the user can place any soul.**

Like a resurrection technique, she thought in awe about what she could do for her country. Having the old Hokage's back would help Konoha plenty. She moved onto the last one.

**Timeless body: Locked until level thirty**

**This perk allows the user to decide when their body will never age, in addition this allows the user to basically stop the ageing in another living soul as well.**

That sounded cool and all but she really didn't see the usefulness in it. Why would some one want to be a certain age forever? That would only cause misery when you had to watch every one else grow old and then die leaving you behind.

She sighed and found the back button that brought her back to her Stats' page. Looking at the buttons, she selected Quests.

**Quests**

**These will continuously update itself.**

She furrowed her eyebrows. Could it really update itself?

**My first kiss**

**First make-out**

**Heavy petting**

**Loose V-card**

**Master tree-climbing**

**Master water-walking**

**Keep Tazuna safe**

**Don't let Zabuza and friend die**

**Eliminate Gato**

Did this thing know the future or something? Currently she was working on water-walking. She clicked on said Quest.

**Master water-walking:**

**One must be able to walk continuously on any surface of water, rushing and calm water. This allows the ability to continue a fight even after being launched into a body of water.**

**Gain:**

**1000 xp**

**25 skill points**

**10 perk points**

Sakura smiled, if she completed this she would be on level two in no time. Too bad it didn't actually give her advice on how to complete said task. She used the back button again.

She looked at the tree climbing, maybe this one would be easier. She clicked on it.

**Master tree-climbing:**

**One must be able to walk straight up a trees trunk without the use of their hands. This allows the mobility of the hands to have a better edge when engaged in a fight.**

**Gain:**

**900 xp**

**20 skill points **

**8 perk points.**

Considering that this was indeed lower with the xp points and the other points it must be easier. She yawned, then shivered remembering that she had yet to actually put her clothes back on. She would get to this when she woke up in the morning. For right now she was going to get dressed and maybe find some food on the way to her shelter.

* * *

Naruto tensed but soon relaxed after seeing it was only Sasuke. He had been quieter since Sakura had run off, and he was absolutely certain that Sasuke and Kakashi had taken notice. Of course they didn't say anything. For the past three days Naruto and Sasuke had taken turns searching for Sakura and watching Tazuna. He was beyond worried about what Kakashi had told him, Zabuza was probably still alive and Sakura was missing.

Kakashi had slowly been getting better but he was still far from full functioning so he could not go searching for Sakura.

Naruto growled and punched the nearest tree. They were no closer to finding the pinkette than yesterday or the day before, "Where the hell is she?"

He knew Sasuke had heard him, but he was being silent. It infuriated him to think that the teme did not give a single fuck about what had happened to Sakura.

"Could you at least pretend you care?!" He snapped at Sasuke, catching him off guard. "She's been missing for three days and all you can do is call me a dobe and brood." He glared at Sasuke, Sasuke looked at him with a blank face. Naruto couldn't read his looks and that only made him angrier. "What the hell did you do to her anyways?!"

"I didn't do anything-"

"Lair!" He was fed up with him. "If we don't find her tomorrow, you will have hell to pay." He hissed and walked away.

* * *

**Mah...some of the characters are in slight OOC mode sorry!  
**

**Again I welcome any ideas and criticism! :)  
**

**Ja Ne**


	3. Chapter 2

**Just like to thank the two who reviewed! I'm really glad that my story so far has been original and interesting! I hope I can continue to meet your expectations of this story!**

* * *

Sakura smiled and stretched after clambering out of between the roots of her shelter. She picked up the book, it had taken the appearance of a romance novel with Love and Warfare scribbled across the cover in silver script. It looked beautiful, the silver against the black of the leather. She softly touched the front, she watched with amazement as it looked like a rainbow of colors leave her fingers and move to center itself underneath the words taking the shape of a rose laying on it's side. It was mainly made of reds and yellows. (example would be the cover photo.) It was simply beautiful.

Her chest swelled at the sight and a soft smile presented itself onto her lips.

She flipped the book open, she expected it to be on the Stats page not the page reading about the tree-climbing quest. She pressed the back button to the quest page, then she pressed the button again bringing her back to her Stats' page. She really did feel down seeing all the low scores.

She ignored the actual page and pressed the skill tree button.

The pages turned.

**Skill Tree**

**Transformation**

**Water **

**Earth**

**Fire **

**Air**

**Light**

**Dark**

Transformation? What in the world was that? She paused and decided to look at that one last. Instead she selected Water.

**Water Skills**

**Water manipulation**

**Costs 25 skill points**

**Freeze ability**

**Costs 30 skill points**

**Boil ability**

**Costs 35 skill points**

**Water bombs**

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Rain with no clouds**

**Costs 45 skill points**

**Poison control**

**Costs 50 skill points**

**Snow**

**Costs 55 skill points**

**Hurricane**

**Costs 60 skill points**

**Drowning**

**Costs 65 skill points**

**Tsunami, tidal wave**

**Costs 70 skill points**

**Healing palms**

**Costs 75 skill points**

**Portal**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Oil manipulation**

**Costs 85 skill points**

**Vapor manipulation**

**Costs 90 skill points**

**Dehydrator**

**Costs 95 skill points**

**Blood manipulation**

**Costs 100 skill points**

Her being the curious one touched the drowning ability.

**Drowning: Costs 65 skill points**

**Allows the user to force the water from the air another is breathing to hydrate and pool in the lungs, effectively drowning the target.**

Wow harsh way to die. She studied it. Then pressed the back button to press on the Dehydrator.

**Dehydrator: Costs 95 skill points**

**Allows for the user to sap every ounce of water out of the targets body, dehydrating the body to a very dangerous level usually ensuing the target will die.**

Another harsh death, but in the end it would be helpful to have that under her belt instead of in some one else's.

She pressed the back button. She searched the other names quickly, yes she wanted to learn more about this game but she had tree-climbing and water-walking to learn. She pressed the portal option.

**Portal: Costs 80 skill points**

**Allows the user to effectively make a portal to another destination with the use of the water element, allowing for one to travel long distances in seconds.**

That sounded cool, she smiled. This was probably her best bet on keeping herself caught up with the boys. Maybe one day she would be stronger than the two of them combined. Of course that was wishful thinking, she told herself disappointed.

She pushed the back button, twice. It took her back to the skill tree page. She touched the earth section.

**Earth skills**

**Earth manipulation**

**Costs 25 skill points**

**Earthquake**

**Costs 30 skill points**

**Earth meld**

**Costs 35 skill points**

**Body hardening**

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Heaviness **

**Costs 45 skill points**

**Abacomancy**

**Costs 50 skill points**

**Plant manipulation**

**Costs 55 skill points**

**Regeneration**

**Costs 60 skill points**

**Bone manipulation**

**Costs 65 skill points**

**Volcanic ****eruption**

**Costs 70 skill points**

**Blind eye**

**Costs 75 skill points**

**Lava control**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Glass manipulation**

**Costs 85 skill points**

**Metal manipulation**

**Costs 90 skill points**

**Mineral manipulation**

**Costs 95 skill points**

**Crumbler**

**Costs 100 skill points**

There were a lot more terms she didn't know in this one than with the water one. Of course there were always the ones that caught her eyes. She clicked on Abacomancy.

**Abacomancy: Costs 50 skill points**

**Allows the user control over sand, dirt, dust, etc.**

That could be useful. She clicked the back button then selected blind eye.

**Blind eye: Costs 75 skill points**

**Allows the user to feel the vibrations in the earth to come up with an actual picture of what is going on around a person, effectively making the need for eyes null.**

She thought it could be useful if she had other earth based techniques already mastered. She clicked back and selected Crumbler.

**Crumbler: Costs 100 skill points**

**This allows the user to make the body of the target crumble back into the dust of the earth.**

That would be powerful to have in her arsenal. She looked up from the book.

Sakura sighed, she should probably try out the tree climbing for a little bit before diving back into water walking. She shut the book and stood up. Dusting herself off she placed the book back into the roots of the tree.

Now how in the world was she supposed to do this?

* * *

**Yes this is a very short chapter. I'm sorry. I'll go on to the other sections of the skill tree in the next chapter.**

**If there is an ability you would like me to go into more depth about I will be willing to answer any questions.**

**Ja Ne**


	4. Chapter 3

Sakura launched herself out of the freezing waters. She dragged her body from the river that had wanted to swallow her only to spit her back out over the ledge of a ridiculously high waterfall. This time she knew if she tried getting on top of that water again she would with out a doubt die. Her last ride in the rapids had thrown her harshly against a rock.

Inhaling and exhaling hurt, she knew that her ribs were at least bruised if not broken. She laid flat on her stomach even if she still wasn't able to master the water walking quite yet she felt as if she did in fact accomplish at least something. On her first try she had managed to make it up the tree. No complications at all. In fact she had ran up and down the tree and around and around, stood upside down til she felt sick but she had mastered tree-climbing with out hands.

She turned her face to the side and laid her cheek down on the ground, she was probably covered in mud now. She glared at the grumbling water, of course it didn't react. She felt as if it was silently mocking her for not being able to stand on the harsh moving and splashing rapids.

She will have this mastered before they leave wave. Nothing could deter her from this. If she had to spend most of her skill points already then so be it. Then she thought, 'I only have twenty skill points, I don't have enough for any of the skills in either Water or Earth, maybe some of the others would have some skills that cost less than twenty-five?' It was doubtful but she needed to be sure.

She slowly and sorely moved her body up, she couldn't get herself to stand up though. She wound up crawling her way over to her clothes and the book.

She looked lovingly at the words that sparkled in silver over the front. Finally she had something that made her believe that she really could become stronger, maybe showing up her team in the process. That thought brought out a huge smile on her face.

Sakura carefully sat herself against the tree closest to her clothes, she brought the book up into her hands. Opening it she pressed the back button twice to the skill tree page. She looked over the sections, light and dark were pulling at her senses but some how she knew that each of these would probably just cost a whole bunch of points.

She looked over them again.

Choosing fire the book came to life again. She smiled as the words came into view, this was absolutely amazing.

**Fire Skills**

**Fire manipulation**

**Costs 25 skill points**

**Fire breathing**

**Costs 30 skill points**

**Fire shield**

**Costs 35 skill points**

**Fire flying**

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Ash storm**

**Costs 45 skill points**

**Flame throwing**

**Costs 50 skill points**

**Fire bombs**

**Costs 55 skill points**

**Temp control**

**Costs 60 skill points**

**Holy fire**

**Costs 65 skill points**

**Colored flames**

**Costs 70 skill points**

**Sunburn**

**Costs 75 skill points**

**Second degree burn**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Third degree burn**

**Costs 85 skill points**

**Turn to flames**

**Costs 100 skill points**

Sakura blinked, each of these sounded cool. Maybe she'd go in for fire, after all she was a Konoha Kunoichi. The will of fire burned the brightest here. She decided that it would be well worth it to actually study or at least know about every single one of these skills.

**Fire manipulation: Costs 25 skill points.**

**This allows one to manipulate already existing flames.**

That was kind of cool, she thought about it some more. It would give her an edge but then again the flames had to already be there for her to manipulate them.

**Fire breathing: Costs 30 skill points**

**This allows the user to breathe fire, very similar to the fire breathing a dragon does. This is a natural instinct, or body function.**

She smiled, perfect. She could create fire with the breathing it, then manipulate it after it had left her mouth.

**Fire shield: Costs 35 skill points**

**This allows one to create a shield of pure flames, this is only made from already existing flames.**

That was okay, as long as she had the fire breathing the existing flame part wouldn't be a bother.

**Fire flying: Costs 40 skill points**

**This allows one to generate fire at the feet or as wings on the back to allow flight.**

And she didn't have to have already existing flames for this one to work. A huge smile adorned her lips.

**Ash storm: Costs 45 skill points**

**This allows one to create a storm of ash to confuse and suffocate targets. It creates thick ash to swirl around in the air, making a thick blanket of cover or death.**

That sounds interesting, she could definitely see how it would benefit oneself.

**Flame throwing: Costs 50 skill points.**

**This allows one to throw flames from a body point, such as the hands, elbows, knees, feet, fingers, and toes.**

"Hmmm." She said a loud before moving on to the next one.

**Fire bombs: Costs 55 skill points **

**This allows one to make bombs from already existing flames and ones made by the user. **

Prefect for distractions.

**Temp control: Costs 60 skill points**

**This allows one to control what temperate already existing flames or ones that are created by the user are. **

So she could make a flame hotter then hell or as cold as ice? That certainly sounded very enticing.

**Holy fire: Costs 65 skill points**

**Contrary to the name, it does not burn out the essence of evil. This is a pure white flame that can be omitted from any body part with the heat of heaven. Similar to the Amaterasu, nothing is exempt from it's burning fire.**

She blink, what was Amaterasu?

**Colored flames: Costs 70 skill points**

**This allows the flames to change to what ever color the user desires, this is just a very showy move nothing more.**

It still sounded cool though.

**Sunburn: Costs 75 skill points**

**This allows ones hands the ability to give a person sunburn like burns by touch.**

It would be a good Taijutsu surprise.

**Second degree burn: Costs 80 skill points**

**This is very similar to Sunburn, just a little harsher. The burns destroy most of the skin of the person leaving boiling white puss bubbles behind.**

Even better, but having this one and sunburn might be tricky to control which kind of burn she gave off.

**Third degree burn: Costs 85 skill points**

**This is the higher form of sunburn and Second degree burn, this burns down to the nerve level leaving behind blackened and falling off skin.**

Wow, harsh.

**Turn to flames: Costs 100 skill points**

**This allows one to simply turn into flames. **

That was a huge jump in skill points.

That would probably make most of the others useless, or maybe not. She smiled, she might have found the one she wanted to excel in.

She pressed the back button to go over the other skill trees. Maybe one day she would go back over all the other water and earth skills to be sure she understood them, but right now she was more interested in checking out the air skills.

**Air skills**

**Smoke manipulation**

**Costs 25 skill points**

**Temp control**

**Costs 30 skill points**

**Plasma manipulation**

**Costs 35 skill points**

**Tornado**

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Sound manipulation**

**Costs 45 skill points**

**Advanced hearing**

**Costs 50 skill points**

**Amazing touch**

**Costs 55 skill points**

**Flying**

**Costs 60 skill points**

**Nitrogen manipulation**

**Costs 70 skill points**

**Oxygen manipulation**

**Costs 75 skill points**

**Empty breaths**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Pressure manipulation**

**Costs 90 skill points**

**Healing wind**

**Costs 100 skill points.**

Sakura looked up and around. Shrugging, "I've got time to go over all the skills." She said aloud before starting at the beginning.

**Smoke manipulation: costs 25 skill points**

**This allows one to bend smoke to their will. **

That didn't really sound all that useful, but it was a start.

**Temp control: Costs 30 skill points**

**This allows one to control the temperature of the wind around them.**

Would make windy nights less miserable.

**Plasma manipulation: Costs 35 skill points**

**This allows one to physically change anything from a liquid to air, or solid to liquid, or solid to air, or vise-versa for each of them.**

Shouldn't this cost slightly more than this? It seemed to be a very strong move.

**Tornado: Costs 40 skill points**

**This allows one to control the air around them to spiral into a tornado. One can control the size, density, and speed of the tornado. One could even use this to replicate the Rasengan.**

Rasengan? Was that the fourth's move? The one he created on his own?

**Sound manipulation: Costs 45 skill points**

**This allows one to focus on the sound waves, directing their paths, lengthening them or shortening them for any purpose. Make them louder or more shrill.**

Well that would be great for long distance fighting.

**Advanced hearing: Costs 50 skill points**

**This allows the user to heighten the sensitivity of their ears to catch even the tiniest sound wave.**

Shouldn't this one go with Sound manipulation?

**Amazing touch: Costs 55 skill points**

**This makes every loving touch ten times more sensitive, any touch really. Can make a punch seem ten times harder by messing with the other persons senses.**

This one definitely looked promising, especially since sexual encounters were considered part of the leveling up plan.

**Flying: Costs 60 skill points**

**This allows one to walk through and on top of air with out the need of wings or anything. It simply is just the control of the air molecules to lift them in the air.**

Eh the fire flying was probably cooler looking.

**Nitrogen manipulation: Costs 70 skill points**

**This allows one to control both liquid and gaseous Nitrogen. **

This one she was confused about, but what did it really do?

**Oxygen manipulation: Costs 75 skill points**

**Allows one to manipulate the oxygen one needs to breathe out side of the body.**

This one seems more realistic? More useful?

**Empty breaths: Costs 80 skill points**

**Allows one to still the air out of a targets lungs.**

Reminds her of the drowning, it might just be a little less cruel.

**Pressure manipulation: Costs 90 skill points**

**Allows one to control the air pressure around them, can make it super heavy or very very light.**

The heavier the air, the more likely hood that they would be crushed.

**Healing wind: Costs 100 skill points**

**Can heal any injury by manipulating the wind around the wound.**

This would be helpful for long distance healing, if the patent wasn't close enough for an actual healer to take care of them this would save their lives.

Now she couldn't decide which one sounded cooler, the fire or the wind?

She went back to the skill tree and selected light next.

**Light skills**

**Holy breath**

**Costs 20 skill points**

**Lasers **

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Invisibility**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Lightning**

**Costs 100 skill points**

**Speed of light**

**Costs 140 skill points**

**Fire torches**

**Costs 180 skill points**

**Age**

**Costs 200 skill points.**

Some how she knew that these would cost a whole hell of a lot more than the others she had already read about. Although she was curious as to why these costed so much more.

**Holy breath: Costs 20 skill points**

**A huge blinding beam of white light can be omitted from the mouth to blind their target.**

Okay so that gave her targets a weakness. Perfect.

**Lasers: Costs 40 skill points**

**Allows one to shoot lasers from different points on the body.**

She smiled, she was liking the sound of Light.

**Invisibility****: Costs 80 skill points**

**Allows one to bend the light around them concealing them from all others.**

Wow all the light moves so far were amazing.

**Lightning: Costs 100 skill points**

**Allows one to have complete control over lightning. Summoning it at will and being able to use the chidori at will.**

What was the chidori? She'd have to ask Kakashi-sensei later on when she got closer to actually having enough points to gain the ability.

**Speed of light: Costs 140 skill points**

**Allows one to travel at the speed of light.**

Holy shit that would make her as fast as the yellow flash!

**Fire torches: Costs 180 skill points**

**Basically makes small orbs of light that give off no heat what so ever that can be used as a torch to see in the darkness.**

That would be cool.

**Age: costs 200 skill points**

**Can control how fast or how slow a person ages, can also cause one to move backwards with age.**

"Well I can see why that one's so high." She mumbled before taking herself back to the skill tree.

She looked it over before noticing a small button that was below the title of the page,

**20 skill points to spend.**

Maybe she'll get the holy breath one or wait until she has more to actually spend. She shrugged. It wouldn't hurt much if she simply just got one skill right?

She pressed light again, then the holy breath skill, she pressed it again after it showed her the information about the skill.

A light blue box appeared over the top of the information,

**Would like to purchase 'Holy breath'**

**Yes or No**

She clicked on yes. The box disappeared. Then the book started to glow slightly.

She almost dropped it in surprise.

She watched as the glow was transported from the book up her arms and to her mouth. Her taste buds felt like they were being coated with lemons causing her face to scrunch up from the sourness.

Then the glow was gone.

She looked at the book again.

**Holy breath: Bought**

******A huge blinding beam of white light can be omitted from the mouth to blind their target.**

That was cool, she mused as she traveled back to her stats page.

**Level: 1 newbie**

**No. of XP points until next level: 900/1000**

**Stat points: 0**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 16**

**Speed: 14**

**Stealth: 8**

**Acrobatics: 11**

**Dexterity: 15**

**Endurance****: 14**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 12**

**Castor levels: 12**

**Chakra levels: 12**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 1**

**Skill points earned: 0**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 8**

Maybe she had a new quest? She clicked to go to her quests, sure enough there was another quest.

**Master 'Holy breath'**

**Gain**

**1000 xp points**

**25 skill points**

**5 perk points**

She smiled. One step closer in showing up her teammates.

* * *

**So a super long chapter to make up for that short one. I promise that Dark and Transformation will be gone over later on and water and Earth will be gone over in more details later on.**

**If you have any questions please review.**

**Also I am willing to take requests for both skills and quests she can acquire or must do.**

**Ja Ne**


	5. Chapter 4

**To answer a review since I cannot reply to a guest member :(**

**10000 Fists: ****So it's sort of a dillema?  
****The one fighting for Power is Sauske, and the one fighting for love is Naruto, and Sakura gets rewarded, or 'experience' (double entendre there) for performing 'deeds' with one or the other, in addition to getting rewarded for heroic deeds (prompting her to act out on her own rather than wait for Naruto or Sasuke, developing her character more and earlier).  
****OR Sakura is given experience for sex and killing, Naruto and Sasuke notwithstanding.  
****Either way, pretty decent start up chapter.**

**Okay, to clear up some confusion, there is at this moment no one fighting for power in this game (there is only 1 player at the moment). The one fighting for love is Sakura, as she is the ONLY player in the game at the moment. She is given experience for sex, heroic deeds, training, and completing quests.**** Naruto and Sasuke have nothing to do with game. Yes she can use them for the sex part of the game but other than that they don't have a huge roll in her game. **

* * *

Sakura felt her world tilting, 'Not again.' She fell to the ground. The world was now lazily spinning around in her vision. Her ribs were hurting. The last trip she had in the water never helped with them, and falling after spending the last three hours practicing and trying to stabilize the holy breath didn't help one bit.

For some reason only a little spark of light would ignite every time she opened her mouth, even after trying to focus her chakra to her mouth. She shifted slightly to were her body was laying on flat on her back. She stared up into the canopy of trees. She should probably start heading back to her team soon, but she wanted to be going back with another quest under her belt and this ability honed to the fullest extent.

She hurt quite badly but at the thought of going back with out becoming stronger forced her back up. The world wasn't stable but it was far from spinning. She took her battle ready stance. She would need every ounce of concentration to be able to pull this off.

She closed her eyes searching her body. She probably should have done this an hour ago. Some thing felt different, odd even.

Then she found it. In the pit of her abdomen pooled her chakra and right next to it another pool of power laid. This must be the castor power the stats was talking about. She furrowed her eyebrows.

She was a mage brawler in the video game...Of course that makes perfect sense. Why her chakra level and castor level were at the very same level... Why didn't she think of this before?

She concentrated and began to mix the chakra in with the castor power. She swirled it around and around in her body before slowly forcing it up towards her mouth.

She opened her eyes and mouth at the same time, watching as a beam of bright white light launched itself out of her mouth. She could taste lemons but this time she could handle the sourness. She focused on trying to keep the beam of light going for as long as she was able.

She was only able to keep it going for thirty seconds before it started to flicker and then completely disappear.

She fell to her knees breathing deeply. First things first her chakra and castor levels needed to be brought up. After that who knows? All she had to do was get to the next level, but at this rate she'd be better off trying to get rid of her first kiss then mastering water walking or the holy breath.

At least she figured out how to activate the damned thing. She slowly, shakily got up and went to the roots that held her book. It was time to meet up with her team, maybe Kakashi could give some clues on how to master the water walking.

* * *

Naruto slid out of bed. If they didn't find Sakura today he was going to kill the teme.

Naruto was quiet, barely talking to any one. He would walk around with a glare set on his face. He had been this way for the last three days.

Naruto knew he was probably acting childish but this was his comrade who had gone missing. Some one he promised to protect. How can he protect some one who was no where near him?

He sighed and got ready for the day.

* * *

Sakura moved slowly holding onto the book in one hand for a direction guide and the other cradling her rib cage. She had checked on them before beginning her journey home. They were a nice dark blue that bloomed around the area almost taking up her entire chest and back. She probably busted at least three of them if not all of them. Each time she breathed it hurt slightly but the inhales were more painful than the exhales.

She stopped, she was about a mile away from Tazuna's house. She could find her way back if she just kept walking along this path. She shut the book and placed it in her waist holster, it probably wouldn't be a good thing if she walked back with her nose stuck in a book. Especially if that book looked like it could have been a romance novel.

She wrapped her arms loosely around her ribs, trying to ease the pain with out adding any more to the problem. She carefully moved her feet, trying her best not to jostle the bones anymore than they already had been. It hurt worse to walk than to just stand and breath, but despite the pain she would not cry. No tears would be shed, at all.

She continued to walk, she watched the ground and carefully avoided tree trunks. She was sure she was walking in a daze of pain at this point.

"SAKURA!" She winced as her body jumped in surprise, she looked up and saw her team rushing to her.

'Finally.' She thought and allowed herself to collapse to her knees before crying out in pain, pushing her arms in closer around her ribs to hopefully stop the throbbing pain.

She whimpered as the world began to blur and spin again, her harsh training finally taking its major.

The last thing she saw was orange and blue.

* * *

**I am so sorry that this took me forever to write and its so short. I promise I will get a move on with the next one and hopefully it will be longer!**

**Ja Ne**


	6. Chapter 5

Sakura opened her eyes only to slam them shut again. It was too bright, too light. She grumbled irritadely.

"She's awake!" She heard, the voice sounded familiar but she was still pretty groggy. She tried opening her eyes again, same result.

"Damned bright light." She muttered. She was starting to get feeling back into her tired body. It tingled and slowly she could feel the pain of her ribs again. She groaned and sluggishly moved her hand up to her eyes.

"Sakura-chan!-" A large bang was heard.

"Shut up your too loud."

"OW! What the hell teme!." Sakura winced as she opened her eyes.

She tried sitting up but hands pushed her back down to the bed, those hands belonged to a very bright person. "Naruto, your too bright." She muttered trying to cover her eyes. All she wanted to do at the moment was get up out of this confining bed.

She heard a snort. She was utterly confused, who was all in her room? She tried to sit up again, "Damn it, Naruto let me up."

"Sakura." She stopped all struggle against Naruto. Kakashi seemed to have a little bit more emotion behind his voice. She opened her eyes again and looked over Naruto's worried form, Sasuke stood farther off with an annoyed look on his face. "What happened?"

Her eyes traveled away from the Uchiha to her other side, where Kakashi was standing or slouching, she wasn't too sure which. "I-uh, what?"

"What happened? You broke five ribs and fractured the rest on your left side." His eye was droopy and well uninterested. She was the weak one, the one no one cared about, she thought bitterly.

"I was swimming and accidentally went into the rapids." She looked away from him, away from all of them to hide a huge frown and glare. No one needed to know that she resented him, he always did pick favorites. "I'm sorry I was gone so long." No she wasn't but no one needed to know that.

No one talked and she proceeded to push Naruto away from her long enough for her to jump out of bed and duck under his arms that threatened to put her back in bed. "Naruto I'm fine." She said side stepping him again. She walked away from ignoring everything that was sputtered from the boy's lips. She reached the door to the room with out too much trouble.

"You might want to put on some more clothes." She paused, hand on the door nob and blinked. She looked down to her chest completely bound in bandages and her ninja shorts. Her kunai holster and waist holster was still attached to her legs and waist. She shrugged. Technically she was still covered, even more so then some of the Kunoichi wannabes from the academy. She opened the door and walked right out of the door.

She didn't want to deal with any of them. She just wanted to train, and get away from him. She felt shivers run down her spine from the memory of Sasuke's hand reaching for a weapon to end her pitiful life. She had made it out side, only slightly noting the fact that she was being followed and that the sun was about mid-way across the sky.

She stretched her arms above her head with a small smile gracing her lips before she sat down on the ground to start stretching her legs out. "What are you doing?" She thought that might have been Kakashi but she wasn't completely sure if it was or not. She honestly didn't care enough to actually find out.

"I'm stretching." She said it as if the most obvious answer in the world. She laid back on the ground to stretch her back but stopped when a pinching pain came from her left side. She winced then sat back up.

"I can see that." She refrained from rolling her eyes. She stood up and put her hand into her pouch looking for her book. After making sure it was still there, she took off running. Well sprinting more like it, startling every one that had been around her.

Sakura paused in her running, placing her hands on her knees trying to breathe around the pain of her ribs. Maybe the run wasn't the brightest idea for her injured state.

"What the hell Sakura? You have broken ribs. You could have just made them worse!" Kakashi scolded as he stopped next to her.

She simply let her eyes take in the frustration that was written on the only part of his face she could see. she inhaled and cringed then exhaled and cringed in pain. She needed to get past this pain, some ninja could survive well into battle with more than just a few broken ribs. She could shoulder the pain and keep on training, then have the medics heal them when they got home. "I'm." She paused to inhale, "Fine."

He seemed to study her for a few seconds then nodded, "Alright if your fine then how about we train?" He said looking at the two boys that were behind the panting and in pain kunoichi.

"Perfect." Her voice was like a whisper, laced with pain but had determination written all over it.

What had ever happened to his cute little Genin changed her for the better. She could probably now become a good use to this team.

* * *

Kakashi had lead the three kids to a clearing with ridiculously tall trees surrounding the area. "Alright training starts now."

"Right!" Naruto echoed.

"First we will begin with the review of chakra. The ninja's basic source of power." He had a hand in front of his face with one finger raised, "Understanding chakra is essential."

"We know that." Sasuke said snootily, and Naruto agreed.

"He's right, a long time ago we learned about uh, catra."

"Chakra." Sakura sweat dropped and Naruto let out a slight pained sound, "Go ahead Sakura."

She rolled her eyes, "Naruto, honestly pay attention this time." She sighed and faced him, "Chakra is the elemental life energy that a ninja uses in jutsu. It's the source of all his power. Now this energy has two forms, physical energy which exists in all the cells in your entire body all working together and spiritual energy the primal source of power which is intensified through training and experience. These two types of chakra must be drawn out and brought together in order to preform jutsu." She took a breath, her lungs were hurting from talking so much, "Hand signs focus and release the chakra."

"Right on all points." Kakashi commented after her little rant was done with. She turned back towards him cringing slightly at the jostle of her ribs. "Iruka-sensei really did have some excellent students."

As smug as she felt for the complement aimed her way, she knew it was only to motivate the boys. He could probably care less that she was this close to mastering water-walking when the boys didn't even know how to tree-climb yet.

"What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations? The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?" Naruto interjected.

"Naruto's right for once-"

"Actually Sasuke maybe you shouldn't count him right just yet." Sakura interrupted ignoring the glare he sent her, "You need absolute control over the chakra to be able to use any jutsu. You have to have the exact proportions of different types of chakra, guessing and hoping isn't very helpful to one learning. They have to be absolutely perfect for them to work perfectly." She sighed irritably, missing the surprised and slightly proud look Kakashi sent her way.

"We will be training you so hard that controlling it becomes second nature, to achieve this goal you must be ready to put your life on the line." Sakura listened now interested, maybe this would be the same process that she went through with the waterfall and the rapids.

"What do we have to do?" She asked, maybe he would give her a better way of being able to walk on the water.

He laughed a little, more like chuckled. "Climb a tree."

She nearly growled with outrage. "I can already do that." She ground out, annoyed that her time was being wasted.

"With out hands."

"Yes I know." She retorted back angrily.

"What really?" He seemed taken aback and it was just making her angrier. She scoffed lightly at his insult and walked to the nearest tree, all while focusing her two pools at her feet.

Then she began to climb. She could hear Naruto's surprised noise as she walked calmly up the tree and to the underside of a tree branch, "Proof enough for you?" She scowled back.

"Yes." He looked slightly awed. "When did you learn this?"

"I figured since I saw you and Zabuza walking on water I'd give it a try, then I thought that it could help me stick to any surface, so naturally this would be ten times easier than the rapids of a river heading to a waterfall." She said turning around to walk back down the tree.

He seemed to have caught the subtitle message she was hinting at, 'Ah, so that's how she broke her ribs.'

"I'm going to go train on my own. Good luck boys." She called sweetly over her shoulder as she kept walking past them.

'She just might have motivated them.' He thought watching the boys look at each other before narrowing their eyes at the trees in front of them.

* * *

**Bah I'm so so soo sorry it took me forever to get this chapter out. I would've kept going but it's really late here and I have work tomorrow...Any ways I'm sorry for not having the dark and transformation information up just yet...I lost the paper that had all the moves (or abilities) for transformation on it and now I have to start all over...seeing as I don't remember most of them BUT this is finally starting to kick in gear! Whoot!  
**

**Ja Ne**


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura sighed as she walked down the streets of the village, it was so sad. So many kids and people were on the streets begging for money or food, whatever they could get their hands on. She thought that maybe today she could do something for her team. Even if they didn't deserve it, namely Kakashi. It was one thing to pick favorites but to down grade the girl of his team so much was just not acceptable. It was just infuriating to even think about him, plus she wanted to get Inari alone. Naruto had told her a few things that had been going down.

She knew that Naruto would probably have the most influence on him, but she could still try and help the poor boy out. She walked quietly before practically stumbling over a small pair of feet. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She cooed to a broken boy who looked very quietly and terrified up at her. He was covered in so much dirt and grime, but she could see the darkened spots of bruising and small cuts. She reached out for the boy, he flinched away from her. "I won't hurt you." She cooed and kept her hand outstretched, she didn't want to scare the boy any more.

He looked at her hand silently as if to ask what he was supposed to do with it. Hesitantly he took her hand in his. She gently pulled him to his feet, only now noticing how small he was. He could have been maybe five, very malnourished and extremely dirty.

"What's your name?" She asked kneeling before him, and slowly taking her hands to gently rub some of the grime away from his cheeks. She stared in his sad dark blue eyes.

"I don't have one." She heard him whisper. She cracked and tears started to flow down her face as she pulled the little boy in for a hug. He tensed and stood stiffly in her embrace.

"You poor thing." She softly cooed as she held him to her. "How could some one not give you a name?" She asked very quietly still holding him close.

"I think I did have one, once." He said very quietly still in shock that she was crying over him and holding him. "Before my mommy died."

She let out a small sob and held him protectively. Feeling him slightly inch into her embrace some more. "I'm sorry." She said quietly and just held him.

"Daddy hated me for mommy's problem." He confided as he let himself fall deeper in her arms, "When she finally left he kicked me out and hits me every time he sees me." He was so quiet and so strong.

"He shouldn't do that." She whispered to the boy feeling him finally trusting her. Her tears had stopped coming down her face. "Don't you worry, I will never let that bad man hurt you any more." She said giving a gentle squeeze.

He burst into tears and clung to her shirt. She held him gently promising up to the high heavens that nothing like this would ever happen to this boy anymore. "Shh.." She whispered softly to him and ran her fingers through his dirty hair, she couldn't tell what color his hair was because of the dirt and garbage. Small soothing circles were being rubbed into his back with her other hand.

"Don't leave please." He begged when she pulled away from him slightly. She gave him a small smile.

"I won't." She stated calmly as she carefully picked him up and cradled him to her side so she could still continue on her shopping. She would get dinner for tonight including a small treat for this little one.

* * *

Sakura walked back to Tazuna's, her ribs hurt slightly but she wasn't paying them any attention. No she was trying to think of how her team and Tsunami would react to her becoming this little boy's guardian. She was no closer then than she was earlier to figuring out his name. The only names he could remember being called was brat, monster, pest, and little shit. It irked her to know that this little boy was subject to cursing so early in his life.

She shifted him slightly, his head was resting against her shoulder and his legs were wrapped around the good side of her ribs. His small arms were wrapped around her neck. He was sound asleep after crying himself into exhaustion.

In her other arm was a shopping basket full of fish, herbs, and dairy produces. Well actually it was filled with what little ingredients she could find.

She practically had to shoulder her way into the house where she could hear humming from the kitchen. Hopefully Tsunami would let her make dinner and would help her bathe this little one.

"Tsunami-san?" She called out as she entered the kitchen, the woman was humming and putting away dishes.

She looked up. "Sakura-san-" Anything else she was going to say got lodged in her throat at the sight of the little boy in her arms.

"Tsunami-san, if it wouldn't be too much...I would like to know how I could possibly become this little boys guardian." She said setting down the basket of food.

"Well I don't really know the specifics but I think your Kage needs to be informed about this." Sakura nodded. "What's the little ones name?"

"He told me he didn't have a name, that he was just called brat, monster, pest, or little shit." She looked sadly at the boy holding tightly to her, "He said his father used to beat him and blame him for his mother's illness. When the woman died, the father kicked him out onto the streets." She said quietly. "That man would also take the time out of his day to beat the poor child that was no longer any of his concern." She looked up at the saddened Tsunami.

"I-I-see." She stuttered.

"I won't let that bastard touch another hair on his head." Sakura growled quietly.

Tsunami looked at her with a look that would be called adoration, this girl was so caring.

"Tsunami-san, I got dinner supplies for tonight and most of it should last until tomorrow's dinner as well." She motioned to the basket. "I would prepare the food if you could perhaps bathe him?"

The little boy took that time to look up from Sakura's shoulder, "You won't do it?" He asked her quietly. Tsunami's heart ached at the sound of his soft broken voice.

"Will you let Tsunami-san bathe you while I make you something to eat?" She turned her attention to the little boy.

* * *

Sakura pushed her bangs out of her face again as she sat down near the stove. Sort of watching the water that she had just barely set there to boil. She sighed, her ribs were still trying to push for her attention but at this point it was like a dull ache that would turn into full blown pain if she were to concentrate on it for too long. She needed something to take her mind off of her ribs and trying to come up with a name for the little one.

She dug into her pouch and pulled the book out of it again. She couldn't remember if she closed down the map section of the book or not. She sighed and slid the book open.

The page was absolutely blank. She blinked. What the heck happened?

Then as if reading her mind words seemed to explode onto the page.

**Protected an innocent **

**+300 xp points**

**+5 perk points**

Then the words faded to nothing and the pages were blank, but only for a few seconds.

**CONGRATULATIONS****!**

**You are now level 2**

**+100 stat points**

**+20 skill points**

**+2 perk points**

**+1 transformation skill**

She smiled. Finally she could change those horrible numbers. Then she reread the last part. Transformation skills weren't connected to the actual skill points? She questioned. Maybe she really needed to look at the skills a little closer. She smiled as the screen went back to her stats page.

**Stats**

**Level: 2**

**No. of XP points until next level: 200/1200**

**Stat points: 100**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 16**

**Speed: 14**

**Stealth: 8**

**Acrobatics: 11**

**Dexterity: 15**

**Endurance****: 14**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 12**

**Castor levels: 12**

**Chakra levels: 12**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 1**

**Skill points earned: 20 +1 transformation**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 7**

She smiled, first things first. Must get chakra and castor levels up. She sighed dipping out thirty points to split between the two evenly, she vaguely wondered what would happen if one level was higher than the other.

Now she had seventy points left for any use. She pored ten points into stealth making it a double digit number like the rest of her stats. Now she had sixty. She looked at the points some more.

Deciding that acrobatics was her lowest score at the moment she pored ten points into it. Then she pored ten into speed and then into strength. That left her with thirty points.

She went over her stats again. Then pored ten into dexterity, endurance, and luck each.

She finally smiled looking over her numbers glad to finally see them not so low.

**Stats**

**Level: 2**

**No. of XP points until next level: 200/1230**

**Stat points: 0**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 26**

**Speed: 24**

**Stealth: 18**

**Acrobatics: 21**

**Dexterity: 25**

**Endurance****: 24**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 22**

**Castor levels: 27**

**Chakra levels: 27**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 1**

**Skill points earned: 20 +1 transformation**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 7**

She certainly felt better about herself now. Her face was split in a smile that wouldn't be leaving any time soon, but now she was extremely curious about the transformation part of the skill tree.

She pressed the skill tree button and then the transformation one.

**Transformation skills**

**These will be added onto when a new ninja skill makes it's appearance. This holds almost every single ninja skill known to the current gamer, and them some. Each of these skills can be earned by leveling up or bought with skill points. **

Well this is probably where she should be spending all her skill points, even if she wanted the others pretty badly.

**Puppetry**

**Genjutsu casting**

**Genjutsu dispelling**

**Medical ninjutsu**

**Actual transformation**

**Chakra ****reinforcements**

**Weapon wielding **

**Taijutsu styles**

**Shunshin types**

**Fuinjutsu**

**Forging**

**Summoning**

Those were sections right? She thought as she clicked on Puppetry.

**Puppetry**

**The art of using chakra strings to animate an object in battle in place of the gamer.**

**1 puppet**

**2 puppets**

**3 puppets**

**4 puppets**

**5 ****puppets**

**6 ****puppets**

**7 ****puppets**

**8 ****puppets**

Sakura skipped down seeing that it went all the way to one hundred puppets. She sighed thinking that maybe this wouldn't be a wise choice as of now, considering that she did not have a single puppet with her to use anyways.

She went back and clicked on Genjutsu casting.

**Genjutsu casting**

**The given information and ability to cast an illusion on the gamer's enemy.**

**D-rank**

**C-rank**

**B-rank**

**A-rank**

**S-rank**

She smiled, casting was good but if you really wanted Genjutsu skills the best was to invest being able to see through them and dispelling them. She figured that the next section would be almost the exact same as this one but chose to go to it anyways.

**Genjutsu Dispelling**

**The given information to figure out how to spot a genjutsu and dispel it.**

**D-rank**

**C-rank**

**B-rank**

**A-rank**

**S-rank**

This would be a better waste of her one transformation skill.

She decided to actually look at the other ones before making that decision.

**Medical ninjutsu**

**The ability to use chakra to heal.**

**Knitting flesh**

**Healing burns**

**Healing bone**

She would definitely need this when she gets up to her higher skills in the other sections, especially if she wanted to spare with any one.

She went onto the next section.

**Actual transformation**

**This is like shape shifting. Unfortunately this does not allow the gamer to transform into anything human, meaning the shape shifting would revert the gamer into an animal.**

**Fox**

**Wolf**

**Cat**

**Griffin**

**Dragon**

**Sea serpent**

**Tiger**

**Lion**

**Leopard**

**Jaguar**

**Panther**

**Cheetah**

**Dog**

**Bat**

**Bear**

**Moth**

**Nightingale**

**Porcupine**

**Chameleon**

**Weasel**

**Raccoon**

**Hawk**

**Owl**

**Octopus **

**Scorpion**

She smiled because that actually sounded really cool, even if it was mainly very large animals it could still help her out.

Her smile dropped when she finally came to reality at the sound of the water boiling. She sighed and placed the slices of potatoes into the water to soften so she could make mashed potatoes to go with the fish that were bound to be done soon.

She went to the oven to take a look of the slices of fish grilling inside. She took tongs and flipped each piece of fish meat inside the oven before heading back to her book.

She went onto the next section.

**Chakra Manipulation**

**The ability to use plain chakra with things like the strings for the puppetry.**

**Chakra enhanced strength**

**Chakra ****disruptions**

**Chakra scaples **

**Chakra chains**

**Chakra webs**

**Chakra walls**

This would be nice, but her chakra reserve would never be able to allow her to use this to it's full potential. At least for now anyways.

She looked up and stirred the potatoes quietly and quickly before going on to the next section.

**Weapon ****wielding**

**This gives a storage scroll full of a certain weapon along with knowledge on how to use them correctly to the gamer.**

**Kunai**

**Shuriken**

**Senbon**

**Sai**

**Short sword**

**Katana**

**Daggers**

**Battle axe**

**Brass knuckles**

**Broad sword**

**Claymore**

**Club**

**Morning star**

**Long and mongol bow**

**Crossbow**

**Rentsuru**

**Staff/mace**

**Scythe**

**Lance**

**Chalikar**

**Kasuyu**

**Paper bombs**

**Voulges**

**Fans**

She blinked and blinked again. That was a long list of weapons, but there still might be more weapons than this book actually contained. She blinked again, maybe she'd start here with her transformation skill.

She stirred the softening potatoes again before going onto the next section.

**Taijutsu styles**

**Hand to hand combat styles. This will give all the known Kata's of all types listed to the gamer and will add more fighting styles as the gamer comes across them.**

**Gokuen**

**Beastal style**

**Clawed beastal style**

**Water style**

**Lightning style**

**Earth style**

**Wind style**

That was a shorter list than she hopped to find, but maybe these could be useful. She clicked on Gokuen.

**Gokuen**

**The strong fists. It is a fire style fighting style, mainly used in the land of fire. **

She went to the next one.

**Beastal style**

**The beast mimicry that allows one to fight solely based on eternal instincts, there is no thinking involved in this fighting style. This fighting style allows one to become one with their beastal side, making them almost more animal than human.**

Didn't the sharigan give the users the ability to read a person? Wouldn't this fighting style give her an edge against it? She shook her head, Sasuke and Kakashi were the last people on this earth that had the sharigan, they would never be her enemy's so she needed to stop thinking about them as some one she would eventually have to fight against.

She moved on.

**Clawed beastal style**

**This is almost the exact same fighting style as the Beastal style except this one requires clawed gloves and is mainly focused on using claws like a beast while the other uses all appendages to inflict damage.**

Well maybe there is another Kekkei Genkei that allows some one to read into her moves enough to predict the next move, so therefore these would be very useful fighting styles.

She looked up and stirred the potatoes and moving to the next one at the same time.

**Water style**

**This is a fluid style that focuses mainly on being flexible just like water and the hands will never form a fist. This fighting style is very complicated for a male but relatively easy for a female to master.**

That sounded more of her type than the others did so far.

She stirred the potatoes absently as she moved on.

**Lightning style**

**This is a very quick paced fighting style that revolves around hitting all the pressure points in the body.**

She would first have to get her speed up before attempting this fighting style.

She looked up and sprinkled a little salt into the potatoes, then a little pepper.

**Earth style**

**This is a very strong kick fighting style, this style only uses the feet and legs in powerful kicks and never uses the hands for anything more than blocking and balancing.**

This one got her attention. It seemed really fun to learn and everything but what really got her attention was the fact that it didn't use fists almost just like the water style but the water style had open palms.

She moved onto the next one after turning off the stove.

**Wind style**

**This fighting style takes every ounce of speed one consists of in preforming spinning attacks, such as the leaf hurricane is diverged from this fighting style. Using the momentum of the spinning in delivering devastating blows.**

She smiled, maybe she could be the taijutsu specialist in her team, but before she should make that decision she should look at what else the transformation section had to offer her.

She got up after going back to the transformation page to go and check on the fish. She used the tongs to flip them again, then sprinkled seasoning onto the sizzling meat. The fish would be done soon.

Getting back to her book she clicked on shunshin types.

**Shunshin types**

**This is a teleport technique, allowing one to travel a relatively long distance in the matter of seconds via shunshin type. The type would be what the others see to be able to complete the technique.**

**Flash stepping**

**Smoke**

**Fire works**

**Petals of a chosen flower**

**Wisps**** of wind**

**Swirl of flames**

**Swirl of water**

So that was what Kakashi always did. She would come back to these later, yes they were interesting but she wanted to learn the taijutsu more.

She turned her attention to the potatoes. She mashed them skillfully with a whisk and sprinkled seasonings into the smooth white clouds.

Moving on in the book.

**Fuinjutsu**

**The sealing jutsu. This allows one to use seals for practically anything.**

**Paper bombs**

**Storage seals**

**D-rank**

**C-rank**

**B-rank**

**A-rank**

**S-rank**

That would be really helpful, she thought. Then returned to look at Forging.

**Forging**

**This just gives the gamer the skill to forge their own weapons out of metal or anything they can get a hold of.**

Well that one wasn't very complicated. This could be easily earned but at the same time she would probably wait and get it after at least getting one of the weapons from the weapon wielding section.

She turned her attention back to dinner for a second to turn the fish and season the other side.

**Summoning**

**This is the art of summoning creatures into battle with the gamer. As most of the summons all usually do not share their summoner among all the other summons this is a very special privilege that allows the gamer the ability to make a pact with all the summons listed but each summons will have the chance to either accept or decline the contract according to their customs. A mark will be etched into the skin after the first contract to allow the gamer the ability to sign the others.**

**Fox**

**Wolf**

**Cat**

**Griffin**

**Dragon**

**Sea serpent**

**Tiger**

**Lion**

**Leopard**

**Jaguar**

**Panther**

**Cheetah**

**Dog**

**Bat**

**Bear**

**Moth**

**Nightingale**

**Porcupine**

**Chameleon**

**Weasel**

**Raccoon**

**Hawk**

**Owl**

**Octopus**

**Scorpion**

Well this game certainly had it's perks she thought as she shut the book and placed it into her pouch to focus on making tea and desert. Then she was going to finish the rest of the dinner she planned to make for her little one.

* * *

Sakura sighed and pulled away from the finished dinner that she had just barely got done putting on dishes to be served to her team and Tsunami's family, the former of which had yet to even get back. She sat down and pulled out the book to look at the dark skills then maybe she would have enough time to go over the water and earth skills more properly.

She flipped to the dark.

**Dark skills**

**Night vision**

**Costs 20 skill points**

**Shadow manipulation**

**Costs 40 skill points**

**Shadow mimicry**

**Costs 55 skill points**

**Temp fall**

**Costs 60 skill points**

**Gravity**

**Costs 80 skill points**

**Dream attacks**

**Costs 90 skill points**

**Phase ability**

**Costs 100 skill points**

**Foresee**

**Costs 120 skill points**

She looked at the book confused, these were significantly lower than the light skills. That was definitely weird she thought to herself before clicking onto the night vision.

**Night vision: Costs 20 skill points**

**This allows one to be able to see in the dark.**

Well that would be helpful, but why was it so low?

**Shadow manipulation: Costs 40 skill points**

**Can bend the shadows and use them just like the Nara family can.**

Shikamaru's family? They can bend shadows? That was something she didn't know.

**Shadow mimicry: Costs 55 skill points**

**This allows one to become one with the shadows. The gamer could then travel from one shadow to the next like teleporting making it a faster way to travel and hide properly.**

Now this sounded exactly what one would need being a ninja, she concluded.

**Temp fall: Costs 60 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to drop the temperature around them drastically to give off an intimidating aura.**

That was cool and everything but she didn't think she would ever use that at all. Although that would probably get Ino to leave her alone

**Gravity: Costs 80 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to control gravity. **

That's all they had on that? Did she read that correctly, control gravity? Now that was something she would love to do.

**Dream attacks: Costs 90 skill points**

**This allows one to attack one mentally while in the dream world, this usually does not connect to the physical world so the wounds they get will be psychological wounds. This can be used to torment a person in their sleep giving them no rest and damaging their mentality. Very effective with interrogations.**

This one sounded scary, did this mean some one else had this ability too? If so she was terrified of getting on their bad side.

**Phase ability: Costs 100 skill points**

**This allows one to control their bodies partials to literally phase through solid objects.**

This would be a powerful aide in battle.

**Foresee: Costs 120 skill points**

**This makes the gamer able to see down to the nerves firing in another human, making them able to predict exactly what another will do and what they are thinking as well.**

These sounded like dangerous and effective ninja abilities, why were they so low? She asked this question so many times but knew the only way she would get the answers was to break the number one rule about this game.

She looked up over the book hoping to catch a glance of any one else inside the house. The only sound she could hear was Tsunami and the little one up stairs preparing for dinner. She knew he was filthy but the bath was taking a bit longer than she thought it would have.

She shrugged, she had more time to check out the water ones now anyways.

**Water Manipulation: Costs 25 skill points**

**Allows the gamer to manipulate already existing water.**

So she would have to be next to a body of water to be able to bend and manipulate it? That sucked, but maybe this had some abilities that will create the water to manipulate it like the fire one did.

**Freeze ability: Costs 30 skill points**

**Allows the user to freeze any and all water molecules.**

This didn't specify for already existing water so that was good.

**Boil ability: Costs 35 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to be able to make any body of water come to a boil instantly. This also melts ice.**

That one didn't exactly say the water needed to already be there but she could read in between the lines.

**Water bombs: Costs 40 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to make water explode on command.**

This one was meant to be used just like the boil ability.

**Rain with no clouds: Costs 45 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to take the water molecules out of the air and turn it into rain with out the aid or shelter of clouds.**

There this is what she needed for the water manipulation part.

**Cloudy day: Costs 50 skill points**

**This allows one to create clouds, like fog, or simply just a cover from the sun, or shaping the clouds while cloud watching.**

That would be useful as cover just like what Zabuza used to take away their sight during the fight.

**Snow: Costs 55 skill points**

**Allows the gamer to make the water molecules in the air to shift into the icy substance known as snow, this also allows the gamer to control the snow.**

This would be more like a fun skill than an effective battle one.

**Hurricane: Costs 60 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to create a hurricane with the use of water, this can be used to resemble the Rasengan and can be used to destroy a village depending on the size and speed that it spins.**

This is almost the exact same as tornado except for the fact that it had to have water to be a hurricane.

**Drowning: Costs 65 skill points**

******Allows the user to force the water from the air another is breathing to hydrate and pool in the lungs, effectively drowning the target.**

She shivered remembering the image this first had given her when she first read this.

**Tsunami, Tital wave: Costs 70 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to create a tital wave out of thin air and make huge tsunami waves from already existing water.**

This is a powerful move but if done above a lake it's ten times more powerful. That is something, she mused.

**Healing palms: Costs 75 skill points**

**This allows one to effectively wash out any poisons in the blood by coating the hands in water and running them through out the body.**

This was only good for poisons then? That was definitely not what she thought it would be.

**Portal: Costs 80 skill points**

**********Allows the user to effectively make a portal to another destination with the use of the water element, allowing for one to travel long distances in seconds.**

She only skimmed this one considering she had already read this one earlier.

**Oil manipulation: Costs 85 skill points**

**This allows the gamer to be able to move all liquids that are not water, such as oils both natural and man-made, or poisons both natural and man-made.**

Well that would be helpful to a poisons expert. Something that she knew she wasn't going to be any time soon.

**Vapor manipulation: Costs 90 skill points**

**This allows the user to control the vapor that comes from boiling water before it dissipates into the atmosphere.**

That should be included in with clouds, she thought turning to the next one.

**Dehydrator****: Costs 95 skill points**

******Allows for the user to sap every ounce of water out of the targets body, dehydrating the body to a very dangerous level usually ensuing the target will die.**

She had already read this one so didn't spend time thinking about it.

**Blood manipulation: Costs 100 skill points**

**This allows one to manipulate blood, inside the body and out side. Both in themselves and in other people.**

No wonder this one was one hundred skill points.

She looked up away from the book. Her team had yet to get back and Tazuna sounded like he was stumbling out of bed. Tsunami was still bathing the little one according to the sounds she heard. Didn't they say there was a little boy, Inari was his name, Tsunami's son? Where was he she wondered before turning to earth skills.

**Earth manipulation: ****Costs 25 skill points**

**This allows the user to be able to manipulate the earth.**

Just the idea of being able to make a wall of earth or to be able to crush an enemy with just a rock she moved on her own made her smile.

**Earthquake: ****Costs 30 skill points**

**This allows one to make the earth quake and shatter from just a finger or a fist, any appendage really.**

That would only be useful in causing panic and throwing off a multitudes balance. This actually could make or break a battle she thought before moving on.

**Earth meld: ****Costs 35 skill points**

**This allows for one to sink into the earth and travel to different places inside the earth.**

That would definitely be useful for escape plans and such.

**Body hardening: ****Costs 40 skill points**

**This allows one to harden their body from blows, effectively diminishing the potential harm from a blow.**

That could make the ultimate defense.

**Heaviness: ****Costs 45 skill points**

**This allows the user to make their body heavy or light on will.**

That would be pretty interesting. It could prevent her from being lifted from the ground in any attack.

**Abacomancy: ****Costs 50 skill points**

******Allows the user control over sand, dirt, dust, etc.**

She barely read this one and kept going.

**Plant manipulation: ****Costs 55 skill points**

**This allows the user to be able to control plants.**

So like the first Hokage (correct me if Im wrong) she could create trees and the like? That would be cool.

**Regeneration: ****Costs 60 skill points**

**This allows one to regrow a missing appendage, it can be their own or some one else's.**

This would definitely be more useful with handling a war. Those things were nasty, well from all the stories she had been told they sounded like it.

**Bone manipulation: ****Costs 65 skill points**

**This allows one to control their oestio blasts and oestio clasts just like the Kagura clan. making their bones their weapons. (I'm sorry for the miss spellings)**

What was the Kagura clan? She wondered before moving on.

**Volcanic ****eruption: ****Costs 70 skill points**

**This allows one to make volcanic like eruptions happen from the ground.**

Well that would be perfect for a diversion, or a panic attack.

**Blind eye: ****Costs 75 skill points**

******Allows the user to feel the vibrations in the earth to come up with an actual picture of what is going on around a person, effectively making the need for eyes null.**

She still thought this one was cool.

**Lava control: ****Costs 80 skill points**

**This allows the user to control lava.**

She looked at it again, expecting to see some sort of stipulation. She couldn't find one.

**Glass manipulation: ****Costs 85 skill points**

**This allows the user to be able to manipulate glass.**

This would probably just be a show off skill, unless they trapped her inside of a glass container. But no one was that stupid. Glass was too fragile for that.

**Metal manipulation: ****Costs 90 skill points**

**This allows the user to be able to manipulate metal.**

That could be a very strong ability, to bend and make any weapon useless against herself. That definitely made this ability look more appetizing to her eyes.

**Mineral manipulation: ****Costs 95 skill points**

**This allows the user to be able to manipulate minerals like diamonds and other precious stones.**

She could make money off of this one, but first she would have to find the stones before she could bend them.

**Crumbler: ****Costs 100 skill points**

******This allows the user to make the body of the target crumble back into the dust of the earth.**

She took the time to actually think about this, did this mean there was some one out there with this in their arsenal? That thought scared her.

She shuttered and looked up. She was so bored with waiting. It sounded like Tsunami was finishing up and Tazuna was at the table. She got up and heard the door open with the sound of Naruto and Sasuke arguing.

She sighed and put the book away, maybe she should show Kakashi and have him choose what she should become a master in first.

* * *

**Okay so I fist have to say I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out, my computer crashed. That and this thing is so freaking long. I was behind in how many words I wanted already in my story so I made this one really long to make up for it.**

**Dream since you have been here from the start with me and review so much I decided to let you name the little boy.**

**Also what skills should she go into? **

**Ja Ne!**


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura sighed and set down her chop sticks. She just wasn't hungry at the moment. It was way too quiet. No one questioned the small little crimson red headed boy that wouldn't unlatch himself from either Tsunami or Sakura. No one was talking so when she sighed it was rather loudly causing heads to turn to her.

"Kakashi-sensei?" She asked not removing her eyes from her plate situated in front of her, an untouched plate of food.

"Hm?" He asked looking up and over his book to her.

"I was wondering." She started and then paused searching for the correct words to say, "Well I don't feel as if I have any importance in this team... Both Naruto and Sasuke have ninjutsu under their belts and I was just wondering if maybe I could become the taijutsu specialist in our group?" She asked quietly not really sure what to think his answer would be. She still would not look up at him and kept her hands folded in her lap.

"I don't see why not." He said boredly and reverted back to his book.

A tiny smile made it's way onto her face. "But I couldn't help you." He continued as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The smile fell. It wasn't that he couldn't help her it was because he was too focused on the boys to even think about her.

"I...see..." She muttered and picked up her chop sticks again. She didn't need him. She'll show them, show every single one of them. She will become the strongest to provide protection and then they'll know.

"Sakura-san," Tsunami called. Sakura raised her head and looked over at her who had the boy in her arms at the moment, "Did you come up with a name yet?"

Sakura looked at the boy who flashed her a tiny smile. He was so cute. She gave a small smile to them, "Hoori."

"That suits him almost perfectly." Tsunami smiled happily patting Hoori's head.

"How does it?" Naruto asked finally talking instead of stuffing his face with food.

"Sakura-san?" Tsunami looked at her expectantly. Sakura got up to walk over to hold Hoori's hand.

"I plan on adopting Hoori." She announced to Naruto happily, only some what noting that most of the men in the room stiffen.

"But your only twelve!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura gave the hand a squeeze, "And? I'm technically an adult. We are Genin, Naruto. We are ninja and as such age simply doesn't matter in starting a family. Yes, this means that one could get married almost right after graduating the academy and no Naruto I will not marry you." She quickly guessed what had been running through his mind, although it wasn't that hard considering his facial expressions.

"Sakura-san," Tsunami interrupted before Naruto could retort, "Will you accompany me to the market tomorrow?"

Sakura smiled and took Hoori out of her arms, "Sure." She then turned her attention to Hoori, "Now I made you a special some thing." She said sweetly with a genuine smile gracing her bubble gum pink lips.

She walked away ignoring every one else who had began to converse among themselves. She walked into the kitchen and pulled out a small chocolate cake that was devoid of any flour, so it was basically fudge.

Sakura looked up at the slamming of the door and walked into the room. Inari was missing, "What happened?" Hoori hugged her leg.

"Naruto and Inari got into a fight." Kakashi sighed.

"Alright, let me handle this one." She said before patting Hoori's head and walked out the door to locate Inari.

* * *

"Hey." Sakura called out quietly, taking a seat next to Inari on the dock.

"You should just leave, all your doing is throwing your lives away." He muttered.

"Look, we are ninja, everyday we throw our lives away with risks that we are willing to take to protect the innocent and complete the missions we were given. Your grandfather wants us to protect him while he builds the bridge and that's what we are going to do. Even if that means we have to lay down our lives." She said seriously, then turned somber, "Let me tell you a story." Noting that Inari didn't really move or say much of anything she continued only some what hoping he was listening.

"There once was this little girl who had a happy family, she was sheltered most of her life so the only real connections she had were her parents. Then one day her parents took her out for a picnic. She got bullied by the other little girls and ran into the forest and got lost. Her father had gone looking for her, when he found her she wasn't alone. He died protecting his baby girl, he wasn't a ninja and had done his best against those that were. Even if his strength was out matched he pulled on strength that no civilian had to keep her safe. She lost him that day right in front of her..." She trailed off and looked down at her lap. She paused to breathe knowing that if she continued she would start crying. "She didn't even get to say goodbye." She whispered brokenly, clutching a fist at her heart.

"This is another story, this is about the blond boy that is currently inside your house." She paused finally starting to feel a little bit better, but only a little bit. "He has been ostracized by almost every one in our village but he still wants to stand strong as one of it's protectors. Even I have to admit that I've treated him like dirt in the past and I feel horrible about it. I can see the way he wants to protect every one, he wants to have his name written in the stars, although that might be the hardest thing to do. Even when they call him names behind his back he's still able to travel with a smile written on his face. Honestly I admire his bravery so much, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did become Hokage." She sighed in a dreamy sort of fashion.

"Well I made fudge cake if you would like some when you come in." She said standing up and walking away, leaving him with his thoughts.

* * *

Sakura sat down at the table quietly. Hoori was being held and cooed at by Tsunami, Naruto and Sasuke were having an eating contest, Kakashi was speaking with Tazuna in hushed tones. She sighed quietly and picked up her chopsticks to eat her cold food that she had spent so much time making.

She sighed again and took a little bite, it did taste good but she wasn't hungry.

"Sakura-san, this food was amazing." Tsunami stated once finally seeing that she was back from dealing with an upset Inari.

She knew every one had heard what she said but honestly she really didn't care about their reactions, instead she just smiled politely to Tsunami. "Thank you."

"Yeah good job Sakura-chan." Sakura aloud herself to flash a smile in his direction. He was sitting next to Sasuke and she still couldn't get the image of him reaching for a weapon to end her life out of her head. She looked quickly back down to her food.

The door slammed open. She jumped at the sound and looked along with every one else to the source of the sound. It was Inari.

"Nee-san, what about the girl. You never finished her story." He said walking towards Sakura who blinked several times at the name change.

She let a soft smile grace her lips, "She goes on every day with a small smile with the vow of being in her fathers shoes. She will be strong enough to protect those that need it. She loves with all her being knowing that every moment is precious, she lives her life the way her father could look down and say he was proud of his little girl. She still misses him very much and thinks about him, but not in mourning, she had done so much of that, no she thinks of the happy times she had with him. The times that made her smile and long to be able to preform a heroic deed just like he did so that when she left here she would have a place right next to him. To hold his hand again and never having to be told to let it go." She paused and went to crouch before Inari, "Your father would want you to follow in his footstep like every father wants for his son. He wants you to be the strong and tough Inari he knows you can be. He might not really be here but he is never gone." She reached out and touched his chest over his heart. "He's right here, right now. You carry him with you every where you go, as I carry my father with me every where I go." She then touched her own heart.

His eyes were shimmering in tears. "It's okay to cry." She whispered.

"Thank you." He launched himself into her arms and buried his head into her chest as he started to sob.

"Shhh." She murmured softly while rubbing circles into his back. She honestly didn't see or notice any ones reactions to her statement or how they looked at her in an entire new light.

Sasuke looked at her in reverence, he had never once thought that she could be in a similar boat like himself and Naruto was in. Definitely not when she said something about not having a loving family to teach Naruto right from wrong, no when she said that he hated her guts for rubbing it in his face that his were taken from him. Now though? He knew that was probably the biggest lie she had told him, she had probably thought that saying that would make him happy not the opposite because she didn't know about what happened to his parents, his family.

Naruto looked at her in complete awe. She had sounded so strong. He himself thought about if his parents were really dead he had them in his heart, carrying them with him every where he went. He was their son, whether he knew what his father was or not did not matter. His resolve to become Hokage was only strengthened by what she had just said because now he had another reason. It wasn't about his want for them to see him as a human being, it was about protecting lives and maybe one day being able to sit down with his parents after leaving behind his legacy.

Kakashi looked a little stunned at her. Her file had nothing about her parents and he had only assumed that they were both civilian and alive. Given the way she acted he only assumed that Sakura had both of them. Now that he knew that she only had her mother made him hold her up higher in his regards of emotional strength.

Tazuna would never admit showing adoration to this young female that had unknowingly just brought his grandson out of his depression. Her way with her words had shattered any doubt that a hero didn't exist any more. There were always hero's out there no matter what package they came in. If it was big or small, or came in the essence of a twelve year old girl with pink hair.

Tsunami smiled, finally believing that her son would be okay.

"Inari, when things get tough I want you to remember something, okay?" Sakura started as Inari started to calm down. "No matter how bad things get you have to remember that there is always some one out there who has it worse than you do." She pulled him away from her to hold him at arms length by his shoulders. "Just remember that and don't ever loose your smile." She gave him a smile to which he gave her a watery one back. She squeezed his shoulders before releasing him and standing.

"Ne, nee-chan," Sakura smiled at the fond nick name, "You said you had fudge cake?" He sniffed, and wiped his tears away.

She smiled brightly, "Yup come on, you can help me cut it."

* * *

**I think I'm writing myself in a corner...that would explain most of the cheesy moments...whoops...oh well I got what I wanted to convey for this chapter across. Also I just went back to my time line and realized that if I counted correctly this would have been the end of the fourth day and the next day would be the fifth and close to the last of the Wave arc. If my math is off please correct me!**

**Also every review I got that answered my question to what she should specialize in was the water style, genjutsu dispelling, and finally medical or summoning. Thank you my dears for your input!**

**Ja Ne**


	9. Chapter 9

Sakura awoke with a smile on her face, Hoori was still slumbering on next to her and Inari was asleep on the other side of her. She really did feel like his older sibling. Both of her boys clung to her body encasing her with body warmth, body warmth that she really didn't need. Hoori's head was resting on her shoulder with her arm under and around his shoulders. Inari's head was in the exact same place on her other side.

She remembered laughing with the two as she cut the cake into slices and handed them out to her team, Tazuna, and Tsunami. She even rolled her eyes when Sasuke declared he didn't like sweets. She didn't exactly wait to hear the reactions to her cake and instead dragged and carried the two boys up to her room to talk and laugh and become closer. Inari had definitely taken on the roll of an otouto (I really don't know the spelling).

Now though she needed to get up and possibly go for a quick run and maybe practice water walking and the holy breath a little more before coming back to get ready to go with Tsunami to the market place this afternoon. She sighed knowing that whether she meant to or not she might end up waking at least one of her boys. She still had to try though.

She very gently moved Inari's head onto the pillow knowing that he was the least likely to be a light sleeper and she was correct to assume that. When his head hit the pillow he sighed contently and rolled away slightly inching his way to the edge of the futon. She smiled at the sight. Now she just needed to get Hoori off of her.

She gently lifted the boy off her and was about to sneak off the bed when a little hand clasped onto her sleeve, looking down at a very sleepy Hoori she smiled, "Kaa-san...?" He mumbled only half aware of what was going on.

"Shhh, go back to sleep." She whispered and kissed his forehead as he let go of her shirt and she slid out of bed.

She smiled and grabbed her bag to head to the bathroom, but looking in her bag she glared slightly at the stupid dress that she had so ignorantly thought would be perfect in gaining the attention of a certain some one that she just the thought made her shiver in fear. Maybe this village had some more practical clothes for her dire need.

* * *

It was still very early in the morning, the sun had yet to make its appearance. The moon did very little to illuminate anything as it was trying desperately to dived down below the horizon. Sakura didn't mind the lack of light, no not at all after deciding that it would be best to learn how to fight in any conditions and that included not being able to properly see. Although that night vision skill would still be quite the trump card in these situations.

She sighed and pored more strength into her limbs that carried her over the grass, she was heading back to the waterfall. There was no way in hell that she was going to fail this time. She would complete that quest and move onto level three. She needed to speed up her growth. If only to protect Inari, Tsunami, Tazuna, and Hoori.

However because it was so dark she couldn't see the roots sticking out of the dirt precariously. That was the reason she went face first into the ground. Her ribs felt jarred and she could hardly breathe it was so painful. She spit dirt and grass out of her mouth and pushed her tears away. The fall was so sudden that she couldn't even brace herself with her arms that were now gripping the grass in a desperate way to make the pain of her ribs go away. She breathed raggedly doing her best at keeping herself from crying.

She sat there breathing in and out doing her best to stunt the pain that literally blossomed from her chest. She couldn't think of being attentive to her surroundings this time. She couldn't even open her eyes, her jaw was beginning to cramp from being clenched for so long and so tightly.

"Are you okay." She nearly screamed at the new and very unfamiliar voice that penetrated her thoughts, but instead she shuttered out a painful breath.

"I-uh" She tried to talk but let out a painful groan.

"What happened?" Soft hands gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her over onto her back with her letting out a small cry of pain.

"My ribs." She breathed out keeping her eyes shut and cringed when the hands touched her ribs.

"Are they broken?"

"Yes." She bit her lip hard. She could taste the blood but the pain didn't effect her at all, she was too focused on her ribs.

Soft hands gently prodded at her left ribs making her whimper in pain occasionally when they hit a rather sore spot. Although it was probably a broken rib that moved slightly underneath the pressure. "You have one out of place." She felt bark touch her lips, "Bite down on this, I'm going to push it back into place. This will hurt."

She chomped onto the branch, then with out any warnings the hands pushed the bone back into place. Tears gathered into her eyes and threatened to fall. She nearly snapped the branch in half inside of her mouth.

She breathed a sigh of relief, she could finally breathe properly with out the sever burning. "You're very lucky." The hands gently took the branch out of her mouth and she fluttered her eyes open, blinking away the sun light. "If you moved it any more it would have pierced your lung." Her vision stabilized onto a very feminine boy. Well she thought he was a boy from his voice but the soft brown eyes and the long chocolate brown hair, soft oval face coupled with the larger poutier lips all screamed a woman.

"Thank you." She breathed and slowly tried to get herself to sit up on her own. The boy's or girl's hands gently helped her into a sitting position. Sakura then saw the pink kimono she wore. "I'm sorry if you don't mind me asking..." Sakura started gathering her helpers attention, "When I only heard your voice I thought you were male, yet you look like a very pretty girl..." She trailed off hoping that they would catch onto her question.

It laughed and smiled warmly to her, "I'm a male." Sakura smiled back practically relieved it wasn't a female who was about to rip her a new one for confusing her with a male.

"Well you are a very pretty male." She said playfully as she tried almost desperately to get to her knees to stand up.

He chuckled, "Thank you," He helped her to her feet as he got to his own before picking up a basket she had only just seen. "What are you doing out here so early?"

"Oh," Sakura started awkwardly. "I went for a morning run and well it was too dark for that and managed to trip."

He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, "If you had broken ribs why where you running?"

"Training." She pointed at her head band.

"I see." He stated the warm smile never left his face even if it seemed slightly strained now, "Why did you become a ninja?"

Sakura smiled kindly and gently asked if she could help him gather what ever it was that he was gathering. A soft smile rested on her lips as she tried to decide whether or not it was okay to tell a complete stranger her reasons for becoming a ninja.

* * *

He sat there just listening to the rustle of each movement of both their hands as they pulled herbs from the ground. He waited patently for her answer.

"I really don't know how to tell you." She started then the soft smile grew slightly, captivating him. He never knew that a persons smile could just take all of a person's attention. "I wanted to protect my precious people. Do something heroic while at the same time loving and nurturing the people who need my help. I became a ninja, not for myself but for every one who needs that extra hand to keep them alive, that extra light to keep them from the darkness, that extra smile to fight away the sadness. I wanted to protect and this was the best way I knew how." She said handing over the herbs she managed to get.

He sat there stunned. Never in a million years did he think that he would find a kindred spirit. Some one who wanted to be there for some one else instead of themselves. Some one who would go to the ends of the earth to keep some one alive and well. Slowly a real smile, kind, happy, and dazzling stretched onto his lips.

He saw her cheeks powder with red as she smiled back. He couldn't honestly think of a response worthy of uttering after her confession. In all honesty he didn't really think at all when he leaned over and gently pressed his lips against hers. He was just as surprised as she was. They both stared wide eyed at each other.

He almost instantly pulled back and felt the reddening of his cheeks as he looked everywhere but at her. That is until he heard her soft giggle. His eyes snapped back to her soft heart shaped face. Her cheeks were dusted in pink and a small but beautiful smile graced her very soft lips. He felt his cheeks get warmer from just remembering the feeling of them on his. "You know," She began, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "That was my very first kiss." She giggled again.

He almost couldn't breathe his heart was pounding a million miles per second. "Oh." He tried to speak with out squeaking, "I'm sorry."

She gave him that smile again and shook her head slightly, "Don't be." She reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand, "My first kiss was with a very pretty boy. I'm quite happy." She giggled again and his face felt like fire. She was handling this quite well for some one who just had their first kiss stolen.

"I-uh." He cleared his throat trying desperately to rid himself of the blush that wouldn't leave. "I'm sorry, I really don't know what made me do that." He paused not looking at her, "You remind me a lot of myself." He breathed in finally starting to feel the heat leave his face. "I only ever want to protect my precious person." He risked a glance over at the pink haired girl that had captivating emerald green eyes and the perfect pair of lips, she was smiling gently at him, all hints of the blush gone. His eyes darted back to the ground quickly.

"Then I'll bet you'll be strong." She said softly. He glanced up surprised. She only smiled softly, "I once knew this man who was a civilian with a wife and a daughter." She began her eyes took on a far away shine, "He loved those two girls so much, he would do anything he could for them." Her smile became wistful and he was so caught up in it that he almost forgot where he was, who he was, that he'd eventually have to face her and her team. "I remember watching as he fought ninja with the strength and grace of a civilian to protect his little baby girl. He had relied on some hidden power nestled in his heart for his baby girl, but he had protected her with all his might. Even if he had died that night he still managed to make it safer for her."

He watched her smile turn sad and proud at the same time. She was talking about her dad wasn't she? He could only imagine what she could offer the world. "He sounds amazing." He answered truthfully.

* * *

She slightly giggled to herself as she pressed her fingers to her lips, they still tingled slightly from his lips. 'Haku' She thought with a smile. His name was simply beautiful. She looked down to her feet slightly surprised that she had yet to fall into the water. Maybe this was a good sign, maybe all she was doing before was forcing herself to think too hard about the water walking. Maybe it was just this easy.

She smiled and began to run along the surface, going really close to the drop off then back over the rapids and closer to her clothes. Her feet barely rose up off the water. If she kept at this she was sure that she would be able to glide over the water as if she was skating on ice.

She let her thoughts drift again, but not to the boy she had just met that morning. She thought that this was maybe a bit too easy now. Like the water was just there for her beck and call. Maybe this was her chakra element she thought remembering something about it when they were back in the academy. Of course she knew that her element would help by making it that much easier for a person to mold and control an elemental jutsu.

She stepped off of the water. If her assumption was correct, then that was were she should really start.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm trying to get these out as fast as I can right now but my internet connection with my computer is acting up and trust me I have tried almost everything to fix this problem. The next chapter will be out as soon as possible I promise!**

**I would like to know your thoughts on what you would like to happen to Haku and Zabuza after the great battle on the bridge. Keep in mind that Sakura will be doing everything in her power to make sure that they survive.**

**Ja Ne**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I realized my perk points were off in the other chapters...well I fixed them in this one.**

* * *

Sakura opened the book.

**Quest complete: My first kiss**

**+ 1000 xp points**

**+20 skill points**

**+5 perk points**

Then the book went blank again.

**CONGRADULATIONS!**

**You are now level 3**

**+100 stat points**

**+20 skill points**

**+2 perk points**

**+1 transformation skill**

Not two seconds after she managed to read those words another pop up came up.

**Quest complete: Master water-walking**

**+1000 xp points**

**+25 skill points**

**+10 perk points**

She smiled, that was certainly a lot of xp points to get in a day.

**Stats**

**Level: 3**

**No. of XP points until next level: 970/1660**

**Stat points: 100**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 26**

**Speed: 24**

**Stealth: 18**

**Acrobatics: 21**

**Dexterity: 25**

**Endurance****: 24**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 22**

**Castor levels: 27**

**Chakra levels: 27**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 1**

**Skill points earned: 85 +2 transformation**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 32**

The book went blank again. She raised an eyebrow, did she do something wrong?

**Trophy earned: Mix master**

**Was able to complete both chakra and castor control exercises. Both essential powers are permanently mixed and have become second nature to control.**

Oh well that was nice. She smiled and turned back to the stats page to start using up her stat points. She had already decided that along with her new fighting style that she was going to get she would have to up her acrobatics points. She pored twenty into her acrobatics.

Then she pored twenty into intellegence. Ten into stealth, speed and strength. That left her with thirty points left over.

She looked them over again.

**Stats**

**Level: 3**

**No. of XP points until next level: 970/1660**

**Stat points: 30**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 36**

**Speed: 34**

**Stealth: 28**

**Acrobatics: 41**

**Dexterity: 25**

**Endurance****: 24**

**Intelligence****: 42**

**Luck: 22**

**Castor levels: 27**

**Chakra levels: 27**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 1**

**Skill points earned: 85 +2 transformation**

**Trophies earned: None**

**Perk points earned: 32**

She shrugged and left the other thirty points alone and instead went to the skill tree. Then to the transformation section and finally to the taijutsu selection.

She clicked onto the water style and then clicked again as a small blue box lit up.

**Would you like to purchase 'Water style'**

**Yes or No**

She clicked on yes. The book went completely blank and flipped pages towards the back of the book. It stilled on a page where storage seals seemed to pop out of the page. A poof of smoke later left a scroll sitting on top of the now blank page. The scroll had the characters for water style written on it's seal that kept it closed.

She set the book down and picked up the scroll, unsealed it. She looked over all the Kata's that she would have to learn and master to be able to actually complete this skill. She rolled it back up and sealed it again.

Grabbing the book she went back to the quests page.

**First Make-out**

**Loose V-card**

**Master 'Holy breath'**

**Master 'Water style'**

**Keep Tazuna Safe**

**Don't let Zabuza and friend die**

**Eliminate Gato.**

She sighed. She still had a lot more quests to complete while she was still here. She sighed again and clicked on 'Keep Tazuna Safe.'

**Keep Tazuna Safe.**

**Do not let Gato's men destroy his hard work, nor himself during the duration of your mission in Wave. At least until the bridge is complete he is not to die.**

**1000 xp**

**20 skill points**

**5 perk points**

Well that sounds just like their mission objective in the first place. Then she selected 'Don't let Zabuza and friend die.'

**Don't let Zabuza and friend die**

**Do not let them die at all during the battle on the bridge.**

She stopped and stared at that information. This book practically knew the future. There was going to be a battle on the bridge?! She had so many questions run through her head, but she knew at this moment she would definitely need to go and do some research. Maybe while she's out with Tsunami she could sneak off and hopefully get some information.

Then maybe she could eliminate Gato and avoid this whole bridge battle all together.

She shook her head, she would have time to think about taking Gato out after getting some information. Right now she should go into her skills and see how many water skills she could get. Even if right now all she should be focusing on is mastering the two skills she already bought.

She looked over the water skills carefully before selecting 'Rain with no clouds.' She would need this before she bought the water manipulation skill. She clicked on it again and the blue box popped up again.

**Would you like to purchase 'Rain with no clouds'?**

**Yes or No**

She clicked yes and the pages started to glow a soft blue color before transferring into the palms of her hands.

Her hands tingled as she watched the light spread from her palms up to the tips of her fingers before fading and flickering out.

Buying the 'Rain with no clouds' left her with forty skill points. She looked over the water skills some more before deciding to wait a little longer to spend those points. As of right now she had a lot to work on already.

She stood up. Now all she needed to do was go to the market with Tsunami, do some spying, come home then go out and practice holy breath, her kata's and see how the heck rain with no clouds is supposed to work.

* * *

**I might use the perk points later on, what do you guys think?**

**I'm so sorry that this Wave arc is taking forever. Two more chapters and I will hopefully deem the wave arc done. Again hopefully. **

**Ja Ne**


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura shifted Hoori around on her side some more. Her ribs were hurting slightly but they were on the side that Hoori wasn't pressed against. Tsunami was walking on the same side and Inari was holding her other hand. Sakura almost sighed. She wondered what other people would think just looking at them. Would they think that they were all family? She shook her head, there really wasn't a point in thinking about that.

She smiled as Hoori began to tell her about his dream, she really tried to pay attention but honestly she was on a mission. Now all she had to do was ditch them long enough to figure out what the heck Gato was planning. The book said to keep the two rouge nin alive but it also said she needed to eliminate Gato. Damn it everything was just so confusing.

"And then...and then Inari shot an arrow at the bad guy." Hoori broke into her thoughts that were about to drive her nuts. "The bad guy was so scared, really scared cuz Inari wasn't alone. He had tons of people with him. The bad guy ended up running away."

That's it! Oh dear lord was Hoori a heaven sent. If what this book 'predicted' was true she would have to get Inari and the village to protect the bridge, but how in the hell would she be able to do that? "Wow that is interesting." She stated to make sure Hoori thought she was paying attention.

"How about we get Hoori-chan some new clothes?" Tsunami asked taking Hoori out of Sakura's arms, much to her ribs relief.

"Really?" He asked clearly excited. She smiled at him and the others, they were getting him out of that broken shell so fast it was actually quite alarming that he was so trusting but then again he was only five.

"Could you guys go on ahead? My ribs are hurting again." She said in a slight lie, after all they were hurting just not so much to the point she would have to 'ditch' them to rest.

"Sure. Be careful, Sakura-chan." Sakura smiled and waved as the group continued on with out her.

* * *

Sakura carefully henged herself into one of those maids she saw coming in and out of this ship. This would be the third ship she spied in. According to the man at the beginning of the docks, Gato was stationed in one of these boats. Now all she had to do was play her cards right, both metaphorically speaking and literally. One wrong move and that would be the end.

She breathed in and presented herself to the 'guard' of the ship. "Oh you're late." He ushered up the plank and onto the deck. If she was any one else she would have been shocked at the complete compliance in which he just let her onto the ship. Didn't even check to see if she had ID or anything, just told her she was late. Maybe this whole kill Gato thing would be easier than she thought. "Mida, here's another one. I think she was about to sneak off."

Sakura looked up to see a stern old woman. She was tall and very wrinkly that showed her age more so then her silver hair. He had called her Mida. "I'm sorry-"

"Child what the hell do you think you are doing?" The woman asked grabbing a hold of Sakura's ear. Her disguises black hair tumbled around her hand. She winced in pain from both the ear hold and the shifting in her ribs as the woman dragged her to the entrance to the main floor of the boat.

"I was just-"

"There isn't any time for excuses. He will not tolerate this you know this." She lectured while almost quite literally dragging her through the hallways. She silently committed this place to memory. "Your parents chose to send you here. They need the money. I know this is the most despicable job, but what else is there to do? Now child you are to bring him and his company the food. Fill the waters and alcohol as they consume it. Take away their empty plates and the lot. Other than that stay to the wall and act like a statue, maybe then they won't bother you." She opened the door and gestured to a tray that held plates and different kind of foods on it. "If they ask you for something do it. None of them will hesitate in your murder if you do not comply." The old woman released her ear then looked her in the eyes. "You are a beautiful girl. They will tarnish you before too long. But good luck anyways." She gently patted Sakura's head then turned and left her in the small room that had doors on each side of her.

There was the pair of doors that she had just barely came through and then there was the doors she was sure that she was supposed to enter along with the food. She suppressed a shutter. She knew what that old lady meant when she said tarnish. She would have to be strong and shoulder through this. She looked down at the maids uniform and straightened the white half apron skirt and soothed down her now shoulder length black locks. She knew that being a henged sixteen year old with black hair and black eyes probably wasn't her brightest choice.

She took a deep breath and gathered the tray up in one motion before slowly entering the dreaded room. She heard the cat calls and the hoops and hollars of already drunk men that had themselves barely seated around a small table. Girls of all ages dressed in lingerie and barely there clothing clung to some of the men or simply stood off to the side letting a mans burly hand caress what made her a woman. Sakura wanted to turn and run, but there was Gato right smack dab in the middle.

He was a very short man with two busty women straddling each of his legs. Both of his hands were grouping and touching one of the women's breasts each. He looked even more intoxicated than most. She almost shuttered at the leering look he sent her way as she carefully placed the food down on a near by table to transfer it to the main table with out the fear of it falling. The weird thing about this whole situation was the bandage she glimpsed around his wrist. What the hell had happened?

She made herself as small as possible and proceeded with the job that was given to her, trying to ignore the way that little man watched her every movement. She almost sighed in relief when one of the men finally took his attention off of her form.

"What of those rouges?" She couldn't have stumbled onto a luckier moment than this one. It was absolutely perfect. The information she needed at this very moment.

"They will move in tomorrow." Gato slurred and hiccuped. "The small brat...-hic- needs to be taught a lesson." He grinned and Sakura slowly poured Sake into one of his henchman's drink. "We'll give them the chance to take out the bridge builder and his protection." He paused to chuckle in thought to himself, "We can even grab the builder's daughter as a hostage." He kept pausing and this was starting to irritate her very much but she kept in character. There was probably more information she needed to gather anyways. "At noon, we will show up and dispose of every one on that bridge." He gave a huge smile out to his men and they soaked it up with hoots and cheers of maddening joyfulness.

She smirked inwardly, when this was all said and done Gato would be six feet under the ground, either by her own hand or some one else's tomorrow on the bridge. She stilled herself against the wall playing the part of a wall flower. Now all she had to do was wait to be dismissed and escape.

* * *

Her heart thumped against her rib cage harshly as she swam with all her might. The practice time she had in the rapids helped her out immensely with holding her breath for so long. Even if she was able to swim for long periods of time without coming up for air she still had to be extra careful. They could spot her at any moment. That's probably why she was swimming underneath the dock trying to get to the other side of the port before coming back up for both air and the shore.

She pushed up for a quick intake of air. She didn't hear any sirens, that was a good sign. She sank back under and pushed against the tides. If she could have just gotten the water manipulation skill before this she could have already been at the shore. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. That's when she could feel them.

Each and every water molecule that bumped against her skin, drenched her clothes and floated around her head. She could feel them all. Not literally feel them, it was as if it was a sixth sense she had. She pushed her head above water for a brief moment. She could feel them in the air above her. Inside of her, the molecules that sped in her blood stream, the molecules that stayed inside her lungs. She could feel the water.

She smiled and pressed on. She didn't have to open her eyes any more, she could feel the vibrations of the atoms hitting against anything around her painting a picture in her mind of what was around her at that moment. She felt truly at peace. Now she had no doubts left in her mind. She was truly one with the water element.

* * *

Sakura sat alone on a small bench that over looked the sea. She never had taken the time to actually look at it and see the beauty that was water. Never in her life had she felt more at peace with herself as she did when she was completely submerged in the liquid. She breathed in deeply, strangely enough her ribs didn't hurt any more. Slowly she let the air leave her lungs through her mouth.

She could still feel the water all around her and inside of herself. She smiled slightly, the water abilities that she could have would be easy to master with some practice and a little time. Finally she thought that she could see herself getting stronger, finally being able to catch up to her boys.

She stood up finally dry enough to walk around town with out leaving a trail of water behind her. She stretched lightly and turned to the streets that led her straight to the market place.

'If they want Tsunami-chan some one will have to stay behind and make sure that Inari and her are protected while the rest of us take to protecting Tazuna.' She thought as she instinctively wandered to where her heart thought Hoori and Inari were. 'If we hold off on the time to get there so it's closer to noon then we won't have to fight Zabuza and company for very long before Gato shows up and we kick some tyrants ass.' She sighed and kicked a stone out of her way. 'I just hope Kakashi is up for new information.'

She looked up and spotted the trio exiting a clothing store. Tsunami had Hoori in her left arm and several bags in the other and Inari was leading the way for them. She smiled. She had a reason to get strong, to keep those two rouge ninjas alive. She had a family to protect, it might be a very dysfunctional family but it was hers at the moment and she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Inari! Tsunami-chan! Hoori-chan!" She shouted and waved her hand up and down to get their attention.

* * *

**I'd say I did pretty good. Yes I know she got that information really easily, but they were drunk and on top of that Gato thinks that his highered Samurai are better than actual trained ninja so he wouldn't mind boasting it to both his men and the prostitutes.**

**Anyways finally getting to the end of the Wave arc! Whoot! **

**Alright, if there is any quests you would like to give Sakura feel free to ask. I would more than happily put them into my story! Thanks!**

**Ja Ne**


	12. Chapter 12

Sakura twitched. She glared at the wall. She had gotten useful information and all that did was get her in trouble. It was risky yes but they were still able to gain information about the next day. Right now she was told to stay put until Kakashi came back.

Hoori and Inari were instructed not to talk to her and set the table for dinner. She sighed irritably. If she knew he would act this way after learning about Gato's plan she would have never told him. She already had some sort of plan formulating but she needed Kakashi's help to make it flawless.

She fumed some more. She knew it probably was a bad idea to go behind Kakashi's back to pull this little stunt but it had paid off in the end, she hoped. This was just steeling her nerves at the idea of talking to the Hokage about getting a new team. She sighed again, but whose to say her new team won't put her needs as a growing ninja to the bottom of the pile to compensate for her _male _teammates? She huffed and her eyes turned icy. If looks could actually set things on fire the wall would have been long gone.

She sighed and pulled the book out. What point would it be for her to pretend to burn the house down when she could be studying her Kata's or looking for other skills she could buy.

She moved back to the skill tree page. She had forty skill points and one transformation point to spend. She clicked the water and scanned the lower points. Yes all of them would be amazing to have, but what one would help her out the most in the end? She breathed in, the rain with no clouds gave her water when she needed it for the manipulation part and the boil ability. She could even create water bombs from this ability. That's when she realized something. All these abilities seem to work well together. She didn't need to make it rain she could just pull the water out of the sky and command it to her will. She could focus on a single spot, liquefy the atoms and then make it burst.

She smiled. She could either get the water bombs or water manipulation, one would leave her with fifteen points left and the other would leave her with none. Then she looked at the freeze ability, it was strikingly similar to the rain with no clouds. If she could learn one the other wouldn't be that hard to complete. She had made up her mind and clicked on the freeze ability twice.

**Would you like to purchase 'freeze ability?'**

**Yes or No**

Clicking the yes a very pale blue almost white light emitted from the pages. It followed the same pattern as the rain with no clouds did, centered the light into the palms of her hands then raced out to the tips of her fingers before fading out of existence.

That left her with ten skill points and one transformation skill. She breathed in and breathed out feeling the atoms that now seemed to bring her comfort float around her. This would be easy. She smiled, she had no doubt that she would have those two skills mastered later tonight or the next day. It wouldn't take that long at all.

Slowly she put the book away. The transformation skill could wait another day. She sighed again and looked at the wall, she wasn't in a sour mood anymore. No she was happy, she had found her medium today. She found exactly what she needed to know about how to go about tomorrow. Now if only Kakashi could just see that she had indeed brought valuable information to the table.

* * *

Sakura had honestly given up on Kakashi coming back any time soon and had fallen asleep still seated where he told her to stay put. He looked over her sleeping figure, sure he felt bad about leaving her there but honestly she could have been killed or worse! She had to have at least some sort of a reprimanding. Then his thoughts started to trail off to his book like they did every time he thought of the idea of punishments. He shook his head, not the time to think of the last scene he had just read.

He sighed and sat next to the slumbering girl, so Gato was really going to try and off his two rouge nin. Plus they really are in league with each other and Zabuza was most certainly alive. Gato planning all of this and just giving her the information? It could not have been that easy. He moved his forehead protector up and rubbed the middle of his forehead irritably. This was all he had to go by right now anyways. He pulled the forehead protector back over his eye. He almost growled at himself. If he would have just thought about this before, he could have taken the risk and not his cute little genin.

"Ugh..." His cute little genin groaned as she slowly sat up next to him. Finally becoming aware that he was indeed back. "Took you long enough..." She muttered under her breath, he assumed he wasn't supposed to hear that, "Did you finally think you were willing to listen to me?" She practically growled and crossed her arms over her very lacking chest. After all she was only twelve.

He almost shook his head. Maybe he should really lay off those books. "Why did you do it?" His eye was droopy almost uncaring and it seemed to infuriate her.

"Well I don't know." She said sarcastically and shrugged her shoulders. He narrowed his lone eye. "Look I got valuable information. Whether I went 'behind' you back or what ever to get it. Technically it wasn't forbidden so you really can't get mad at me." She stood up so she was towering over him while she slightly lectured him. "Gato and his damned men are planning to off his own. Will you honestly let them die? On top of that he plans to use Tsunami-chan as a hostage. What do you think we should do about it?"

She of course didn't let him answer. "I will not let some one loose their life so precariously." She stated firmly and placed her hands on her hips, "Now are you ready to hear what I have planned or are you going to go to your favorites?"

So that's why she had been glaring at him a lot more lately. It's not that he was picking favorites, really it wasn't. No it was because she didn't have the enthusiasm to learn as her teammates did. "Maa, I don't pick favorites."

"Like hell." She seethed, but he guessed he wasn't supposed to hear that either. "Whatever." She glared, "You have genjutsu's under your belt right?" He nodded slightly vexed as to where this attitude was before. She reminded him of his old ANBU captains. He almost shuttered she would probably be a captain in a few years, scary.

"Yeah why?"

* * *

**Yes I know I said the wave arc would be done by this chapter...I'm sorry but well I kinda wanted to have some suspense and getting this chapter out would leave me plenty of time to work out the fight scene over and over to make sure I don't mess it up.**

**Again if there are any quests you would like to see, just let me know!**

**Ja Ne**


	13. Chapter 13

Sakura yawned and tried to move. She wasn't all that surprised that both Hoori and Inari were keeping her pressed the futon. She would have smiled if it wasn't the day. Hopefully all their plans went according to plan. She sighed the only unknown factors that weren't taken care of was Sasuke and Naruto. She shook her head Naruto would be too tired and ultimately left here to hopefully be here for Tsunami's protection.

She sighed. Kakashi was going to be placing Tazuna under a genjutsu before they even set out. Tazuna was going to imagine himself talking to one of his workers and would be resting with Kakashi underneath the bridge where he would channel another genjutsu through her own body to project what she thought should be happening, she was going to be in control of the illusion for the most part. Sasuke was going to be up on the bridge along with her.

Something about this idea just made her cringe in fright. The variables were so extravagant but both of them knew that when they were planning last night. Sasuke wouldn't want to comply with staying under the bridge with Kakashi as back up if things were going south. Naruto would have protested staying behind in every single way. The other thing that had her thinking, would Naruto actually be here for Tsunami? Then there was always Hoori and Inari.

She felt her heart strings grip in fear. She couldn't let anything happen to her new family. She will never let something bad happen to her new family. Maybe she could get into Naruto's dreamscape and ask him to watch over them until after Gato's men have been eliminated. She gently wriggled her way out of bed, not waking the two boys at all. After all the castor energy she had inside of her made her chakra different, maybe she could use it and gain access to Naruto's sub conscious. This would help if she already had the dream attack ability, she shook her head even if she had it she wouldn't have had it mastered yet.

She made her way to the bags of new clothes that both her and Tsunami had bought yesterday. Over half of them were for Hoori but she still had one or two of them.

* * *

Sakura twitched slightly, every step closer to the bridge was making her nerves stand on end. She had tried her best to contact Naruto while he was sleeping but ended up just leaving a note taped to his forehead, hopefully he would read it. She felt slightly out of her comfort zone in her new clothes but they were pulling the cards to this extensive game. She had to keep her calm and cool. Other wise Sasuke would notice the genjutsu and then so would Zabuza and the fake hunter nin.

She breathed in silently and continued to walk next to Sasuke. Illusions of Tazuna and Kakashi were walking side by side behind them discussing the progress of the bridge. She had already heard this conversation before and that made this illusion so durable and believable.

It was about eleven, they had maybe an hour before Gato finally showed up. She just hoped that when he did Kakashi didn't break the illusion. If he did there were so many out comes and possibilities that did not turn in their favor. She breathed in and then out calming herself. Kakashi could worry about the negative possibilities, he was her sensei for a reason.

They finally made it to the bridge. It was covered in mist. She could barely see anything in front of her face. She breathed in and out, even if it was mist it had all the atoms that made her feel at home. A smile lit up on her face and she turned her face to look directly where Zabuza and the other human were standing. Of course they couldn't see her do such a thing. She was standing in her illusions position, yes herself was illusion of the weak girl she used to be.

She turned to the illusion of Kakashi, she had just missed what had transpired between him and a downed worker. She blinked, they were surrounded. She shook her head. She really needed to pay attention. She stepped out of her illusions shadow and walked around the water clones. She breathed in and closed her eyes. Pin pointing the exact place were the two rouge were and then were Tazuna and Kakashi were underneath the illusion's feet.

She pulled her senses out farther, Gato's ship should be making it's way here. She couldn't feel it yet, but she could feel the men making their way to Tazuna's house. She felt them cut up a boar. If Naruto didn't read that note that would be a huge sign telling him something was wrong. She felt movement. Sasuke had taken out the water clones. She almost breathed a sigh of relief. The illusion wasn't going to be found out quite yet.

At this moment it felt like Sasuke and the two rouge's were having a contest of whom could have the snarliest comment. She gently rolled her eyes and spread her senses out again, searching for that boat. The men were getting closer to Tazuna's home. She still couldn't feel the boat.

She snapped her eyes open and jumped over the fake hunter nin as he spun for an attack against Sasuke. "Fuck," She breathed out as she flipped in the air and landed on the puddles of water left from the water clones silently. She looked at Sasuke parrying the senbon with his kunai.

"And then there is the number one knuckle headed ninja..." Kakashi's voice filled her ears as she became more acquainted with the battle field. "Naruto Uzumaki."

She smiled. At least Kakashi didn't put him down. She looked over as Sasuke sent the hunter nin flying back towards Zabuza's feet. She really needed to pay attention more.

* * *

Naruto sat there rereading the note Sakura had given him. A huge smile adorned his face. She had faith that he could protect her family! He grinned and jumped out of bed. Then he heard commotion down stairs. Crap they were already here.

He tip toed, trying to be as silent as possible to get down stairs to have a good look at what was going on. In the note Sakura said bad guys were going to try and take Tsunami and use her as a hostage. He couldn't let that happen.

He peered around the corner just as Inari started running towards the two samurai. If he didn't think of something quickly Inari would be cut into shreds.

Naruto preformed a substitution with Inari at the last possible moment and stopped the swords with his kunai. "You bastards won't get away with this." He hollered before pushing their sword up and away from his body. Quickly he placed his hands in his ultimate ninjutsu. "Shadow clone Jutsu!" He yelled. Suddenly they were surrounded by ten Naruto's.

* * *

Sakura watched slightly helpless as Sasuke was bombarded with senbon again. She couldn't do anything at the moment other wise she risked her clover being blown. "Damn it Naruto where are you?" She whispered in the air. She looked back at the illusion of Kakashi fighting the real Zabuza. It was getting closer and closer to noon and she still had yet to feel the boat. That was not good.

She dodged and made her way to the end of the boat where Gato and his men were most likely to show up. Closing her eyes she tried to pin point them again. She could feel Zabuza engaging something in combat, but since that Kakashi wasn't real she couldn't feel him. She could feel Sasuke's desperate attempt to free himself of the ice dome that Haku had created. She felt a frown mare her face. 'Haku.' She thought sadly. She shook her head and focused right as soon as an explosion rocked the bridge.

"God damn it Naruto!" She hissed as she almost fell face first onto the wood. Yes she knew the boy was reckless and would do something stupid but come on couldn't he have thought with his brain just a little longer before making the dramatic entrance.

"Naruto don't let the enemy see your techniques!" She heard Illusion Kakashi lecture while parrying a sweep of Zabuza's mighty sword that looked eerily similar to a butchers knife. She huffed and closed her eyes again. There!

She could feel the boat moving. It was going to happen soon. She back up into the mist again but kept a good distance away from the actual fighting. She closed her eyes again and prodded the boat. There were about fifty or so men on deck with Gato on the bow striking a pose where he was pointing off towards the bridge. He was probably giving them a victory speech.

A smirk made it's way onto her lips just as she turned back to pay attention to Kakashi and Zabuza having a discussion as Kakashi's 'summons' held Zabuza in place. Then all the sudden a huge surge of demonic chakra swept through the area clearing the mist in almost one move. She could feel the illusion waver. Damn it Kakashi don't get distracted! She pored her own chakra into the illusion where Kakashi's suddenly pulled back. He was still mainly supplying it though.

She closed her eyes trying to pin point where that chakra was coming from. Then a shattering sound came from the mirrors and she watched through the atoms in almost horror as Naruto sent Haku flying towards her. She had to literally stop herself from interfering. She walked the other way, towards Zabuza. He looked paralyzed at the moment. It would be perfect timing for her to knock him out.

"To have a dream means you have to have a future!" She heard Kakashi shout as she neared the two and soon the sounds of chirping birds made its way to her ears. Her eyes snapped open. His hand had lightning sparking from the palm. She froze in place and watched as he took off intending on ending Zabuza. "From what I can see, you have no future Zabuza!"

Holy crap. Sakura felt paralyzed just watching the illusion. How could he do a move that She wasn't entirely sure what it was? She was supposed to be projecting this from her mind. Kakashi wasn't supposed to have any control over the Genjutsu. Her eyes widened more if that was possible when Haku stepped in to intercept Kakashi's hand quite literally through his chest.

She shuttered like a leaf. That looked so real. The blood poring out of his mouth and out of his chest. Then she saw Zabuza free himself and try to slash through Haku to get to Kakashi, but Kakashi had jumped out of the way with his hand still in Haku's body.

She closed her eyes tightly. That's when she felt relief. That Kakashi wasn't the real one. Haku was probably going into shock. She snapped her eyes open and ran to Haku's side just to hit a pressure point on his neck. He was out. She stepped back still slightly shaking, why did she react that way just now? Why did she feel like her heart was about to shatter when she saw him take that blow?

Her eyes snapped back up to reality. She could feel Tazuna and Kakashi coming back up onto the bridge. The Genjutsu was still intact though. She looked over at Zabuza. He had two kunai's lodged into his shoulders to keep the use of his hands useless. She saw her illusion self crying over Sasuke's body. She stilled, her blood ran cold. Sasuke's body?

She couldn't move, her senses washed away everything leaving her numb and cold. Did she really mess up enough that her own teammate died? She wanted to cry that was until Gato moved right in front of her to kick Haku's body.

She lunged and held his foot stationary just inches away from Haku's face. "Don't you dare touch him." She snarled murderously.

"What the hell?" Gato looked like he was about to pee himself. She knew that she had missed a lot of the dialog that had happened before this but seriously? Kicking what presumed to be dead body? This man was sick and needed to be killed.

Not two seconds later she felt the illusion drop. She heard multiple gasps of shock but she paid them no heed, she stared up at Gato with murder written in her eyes. She began to squeeze his ankle tighter. He cried out in pain. "Well Zabuza-san." She asked her voice reeking with sweet calmness, "Are you going to do the honors or should I just dispose of him?"

She didn't look any where but at Gato but she could feel Gato's men getting angry and agitated. Two more seconds and they would probably attack. She bared her teeth in absolute hate for the man standing above her. She didn't hear anything from Zabuza.

"You die." She snarled lifting her other hand up to her shoulder. "Fucker!" She screamed and shoved her arm forward and up isolating all the water molecules that sprang from her fingers towards his body. She could feel them harden and solidify. She had created a sword of pure ice. She could hear Gato choking on his blood. The blade of said ice sword stuck diagonally up through his rib cage and out the other side of his body right above his shoulder blade. She struck his right side, missing his heart. Meant for a painful death.

She narrowed her eyes to slits and swung her hand in front of her body quite literally slashing the sword through his chest and into his heart. She couldn't hear anything else besides the pained scream that seemed to echo in her ears from the now dead man. He died with his eyes wide open, blood dribbling down his chin. He slowly slid further on to the sword as he fell to his knees. She flicked her wrist and dropped the sword off to the side, his body following the movement.

Slowly her senses came back to her. She could hear the fearful whimpers coming from his men along with some angry whispers about killing the man who paid them. Slowly she let herself to her feet. She could feel Sasuke sitting up, relief filled her heart suddenly but wasn't nearly as strong as it had been when she had found out the illusion was really an illusion with Haku. She could feel Kakashi's, Tazuna's, and Naruto's shock still bodies not too far from her. She could feel Zabuza's form kneeling near Haku breathing hard.

She shifted her eyes to the men that trembled before her. Then an idea struck her. She bared her teeth while coating them in ice, giving her some terrifyingly long and sharp fangs. Sneering she watched as some of the weaker ones drop their weapons.

"You bitch!" One of the stronger willed ones called out. "Now who's supposed to pay us?!"

She settled her eyes on him, he had brown spikey hair and brown eyes. Other than that he seemed to disappear into the crowd easily. "Leave." She said all sense of murder was lost in her countenance, she just seemed tired.

"There's a town just waiting for us," He smirked to his men, "We can take what ever we want."

She felt them before Inari made themselves known. He shot a warning arrow at the man's feet, "Leave already!" The towns people shouted waving around their make shift weapons.

He was about to sneer when she sent a wave of ice spike towards him with a wave of her hand. One of the larger ones impaled him through his heart giving him a very quick death. "Leave." She repeated in the same tone as before. The fangs were gone now but they still backed away from her as quickly as they possibly could. Some tripped over the others and stepped on top of fallen men trying desperately to get back onto the boat. Some even fell into the water.

She stood almost ram rod straight her eyes traveled from one man down to Gato. Remorse wouldn't come to her, not for Gato anyways. She was more than glad to have ended his pathetic life. The other man, did he deserve to die? She flicked her eyes back to his body that was slumped forward on the spike slowly making the hole in his chest bigger. She blinked. She didn't feel any regret. He was going to plunder the town along with the others.

Oddly she felt numb. She turned to the others, of course her boys didn't move either from being in an almost death like state or in complete shock. She sighed, she was going to have to explain this to Kakashi now. She cast her eyes downward to see Zabuza picking Haku up off the ground. "You let us live?" He questioned looking into her eyes.

Her eyes softened and she extended her hand towards him, "Zabuza-san my name is Sakura and I'd like to help you."

* * *

**Yes I know that was a horrible fighting scene but this IS a Sakura-centric fic... I added a bit of Naruto into here because I've been getting some reviews stating that he really isn't doing much, well if this was a Naruto-centric fic it would have a lot of him. All I really have to say.**

**Yes I know the Genjutsu thing doesn't actually seem realistic, but at the same time it is because he is using a medium to cast his genjutsu and added chakra to the technique didn't hurt much...**

**Yes I know most of the characters are in OOC mode but well I'm the author and I feel like they all need an attitude adjustment, can't wait for the Sasuke adjustment. **

**I'm still up for receiving quests!**

**Ja Ne**


	14. Chapter 14

"Help me?" He repeated.

She couldn't tell if he was curious or just plain taken aback from her declaration. She left her hand out towards him, he didn't look at it though. "Yes, Zabuza-san."

In hind sight she probably should have been focused on more than just the little moment she was having with Zabuza at the time. She just couldn't bring herself to, in fact all her senses were focused solely on the pair that were in front of her. Then vaguely she wondered what in the world would she help him with. At the very most it just seemed like the most plausible thing to say to him in the heat of the moment.

"How?" Fuck, what was she supposed to say? _I don't know it just kind of slipped out of my mouth? _That would not earn her anything with him at all.

"I-" She inhaled quickly hoping that she could make something up as she went along with it. "Am offering my services to make your burden lightened." She said vaguely, skillfully dodging the invisible arrow.

"Do you even understand what it is your are offering to help out with little girl." She almost bristled at the comment but she suspected it was his way of going back into his comfort shell.

"I would like to extend an invitation to you Zabuza-san, wouldn't it be easier if you didn't have to run anymore?" She watched him closely, gauging his reaction. He wasn't reacting at all. "Unfortunately I can not offer you a permanent resting place anywhere but I'd be happy to extend my protection towards you and your student."

She shut her mouth waiting for him to talk, to say anything really. She was simply so entwined with his presence that when a hand made to descend onto her shoulder she almost screeched but dropped to the ground and made a move to sweep the humans legs out from underneath them.

Her 'attacker' was faster though and caught her shoulder before she could turn to knock his legs out from under him, "Sakura." She immediately stilled. Fuck she almost attacked Kakashi.

"Sorry, sensei." She said slowly bringing herself back up into a standing point. "Zabuza-san, it's your life. Do what you want. We are leaving but let me make myself clear. This was your one and only chance of saving grace. Next time you challenge my team I will make sure you are dead before leaving the battle."

"Sakura, Tazuna and company are leaving." Kakashi added and she could feel them as she let her senses return to normal. They were probably thinking that it was time to celebrate the mans death or to rest from a horrible scare. Either way they were leaving. "That just leaves us." He said after a beat.

"Hai, sensei." She could tell there was an underlying threat in his words. Something along the lines of tell me how the hell you did that now and we won't have issues. She nodded and then felt her world spinning.

* * *

Sakura blinked then fell to her knees as the world spun and the contents in her stomach churned with the need to be emptied. She leaned forward and gagged up what didn't want to stay down.

"Mah, sorry about that. I should have warned you." Kakashi said from behind her.

She was too busy emptying her stomach and coughing to make a logical retaliation.

"Sakura." He wasn't messing around any more, or at least wasn't keeping up the small facade that he pulled on his team everyday. He was giving her an inside look on how he really was. Serious, and almost scary. "How-"

"One second." She breathed out finally in control of her fluctuating stomach muscles. She sat back and dug her book back out of her pocket.

She could feel his glare on her. The fact that the book looked like a romance novel was probably not helping her any. She sighed and opened it anyways. She wasn't expecting anything to pop up on the cover, after all she did complete two quests. She had probably leveled up again.

**Quest complete: Don't let Zabuza and friend die**

**+1000 xp points**

**+25 skill points**

**+5 perk points**

She vaguely noticed Kakashi looking over her shoulder but she could feel the confusion rolling off of him.

**CONGRATULATIONS****!**

**You are now level 4**

**+100 stat points**

**+20 skill points**

**+2 perk points**

**+1 transformation skill**

She felt Kakashi sit down next to her seemingly interested in what was going on now.

**Quest complete: Eliminate Gato**

**+2000 xp points**

**+50 skill points**

Her eyes widened. That was a lot from one quest. Then she noticed the lack of perk points. That was okay right?

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

**You are now level 5**

**+50 stat points**

**+10 skill points**

**+1 transformation skill**

What the...? Where were all the perk points disappearing to? What was the cause of a drastic drop in the amount of points she was receiving from making it to level five? She had so many questions but Kakashi probably had more.

**Stats**

**Level: 5**

**No. of XP points until next level: 310/2330**

**Stat points: 180**

**Money: 350 yen**

**Strength: 26**

**Speed: 24**

**Stealth: 18**

**Acrobatics: 21**

**Dexterity: 25**

**Endurance****: 24**

**Intelligence****: 22**

**Luck: 22**

**Castor levels: 27**

**Chakra levels: 27**

**Castor control: 30**

**Chakra control: 30**

**Quests completed: 3**

**Skill points earned: 115 +3 transformation**

**Trophies earned: 1**

**Perk points earned: 39**

She hummed in slight excitement before the screen went blank again, well the book went blank again.

**Trophy earned: Maturation**

**Have successfully reached level five, now the gamers body shall start maturing into either a very ripe young woman or a hunk of a young man.**

She giggled at the word usage the book presented the Trophy in.

"What is this Sakura?" Kakashi said in wonder still looking over her shoulder, that was before he made a small surprised sound when the pages started to glow a soft red. The glow then forced its way into her abdomen before spreading out to the tips of her fingers, tips of her toes, the top of her head, and everything between. A second later it faded and disappeared.

"This is a game." She stated and looked back down to the stats page. She started flipping pages to the very front of the book. Sure enough her hunch that the rules and guidelines of the game were there. She handed it over to Kakashi. "Read this. It will explain every thing." She stood up and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" He asked staring at the back of her head.

"I'm going right over here to practice. It's going to be some time before you're finished." She waved to the clearing that was just a few feet in front of where they were sitting just seconds before.

* * *

She tried again and just couldn't get the molecules to freeze. How the hell had she did it before? She jabbed her hand forwards but all that managed to do was make the atoms dance away from her still mixed in the air around her. She wanted to yell in furry. She wanted to do a lot of things but all she could do was try again and again.

She wondered how she was able to kill some one with it one moment and then not being able to use it the next.

She blinked.

She had killed some one. No she had killed two some ones. Sakura made a suffocating breath in and held it for a few seconds before it came out in a sob. Oh, god she killed some one!

She dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around her torso, and ducked her head sobbing. "I-" She hiccuped and shook her head in vain to ease her mind. Why was she only reacting now? Why didn't she feel anything when she killed them? Was this how a ninja was supposed to feel? "No." She shook her head violently. She didn't want this to be how it felt all the time.

She sobbed harder, ninja's were supposed to kill. Ninja's also weren't supposed to cry.

"Sakura." She glanced up, her vision was blurry but she could see Kakashi crouched in front of her. The book was closed and in his right hand.

"Sensei." She cried slightly high pitched from in between her sobs and practically launched herself into his arms, burying her head into his flank jacket. She felt him steady himself, "I killed them." She confided along with a loud sob that shook her whole body.

He moved his legs to where he was sitting cross legged, set the book down next to him, brought her into his arms, and onto his lap. He held her like a little child as she clung to his chest sobbing. Her sobs weren't actually that loud. In fact they were practically silent. He sighed a little. He was waiting for her to break. It was bound to happen sooner or later, every one did after their first kill. "Yes." He agreed softly.

"I'm horrible." She muttered disgusted into his jacket so she was slightly muffled.

"No, you're a ninja." He sighed and hugged her slightly tighter. "Ninja kill for a living. You knew that." He paused and shook his head before lowering his chin to rest on her scalp. "They were the horrible people, Sakura. Not you."

She only answered him with a shutter and a shaky inhale.

"You did what was right at the time. You saved a nation from a tyrant. You are a hero to them." He began to rub soothing circles into her back while she continued to shake and release her tears. "If I was in your place, I'd have done the same thing."

They sat in silence with the occasional louder then silent sob coming from Sakura.

He had even started slightly rocking them back and forth to hopefully calm her down. It was working, he could hear her muffled sniffles. He almost sighed again, he would have to wash his jacket soon. "Thank you." She murmured against his clothes.

She peeled her face off of him and gently rubbed her remaining tears off of her face still sniffling a little bit. His arms had loosened around her, he wasn't rubbing circles in her back any more and wasn't rocking either.

"Mah, now my cute little student. Tell me where did you get this book?" He picked the book up and waved it lazily in front of my face.

She shrugged, "I don't know where it came from. I'm assuming the Game master or maker or creator or whatever left it with me."

"Does it actually work?" He tilted his head slightly. "I mean I saw the red light come from it, but that doesn't really give me much to go by."

She shrugged again. Then pulled out the water style scroll. "It gave me this when I bought the water style Taijutsu skill."

He took it from her hands and unsealed it. Just ghosting over the Kata's and information it held. "This reminds me of one of Konoha's clans fighting style. Maybe they based it off of this style or this style was based off it."

"I don't really know." He handed the scroll back to her along with the book.

"Well how about I help you master the two water moves you have, hmm?" He ruffled her hair. She beamed him a huge smile.

* * *

Sakura couldn't wipe the smile from her face, she wobbled slightly using Kakashi's almost exhausted form as support. That was the most energy consuming training she had ever done before. Even if the ice she used on the bridge had just come from her subconscious and meant she still had a lot to practice before actually mastering the damned thing.

Kakashi was tired because he had been trying to learn how to 'copy' her new abilities. She had shown him holy breath with out actually showing him, via the book. Until she had it mastered there was no way she would chance showing him something that could take away his vision.

However the few hours they had spent learning and experimenting in the clearing did give her an idea of how to make the ice, she just couldn't control it at will and could only make an icicle the size of a ball point pen.

She was happier than usual, she finally had Kakashi to herself. No Naruto, no Sasuke vying for his attention. He was there for her as a teacher, as her mentor. He held her while she was crying for heavens sake.

"Mah, Sakura your better at this then the boys." He joked as they rounded a corner heading to Tazuna's house.

She laughed tiredly. "Bah but sensei if they hear you we'll be in trouble." She had a random thought during the training that concerned how easily they had just flopped their characteristics together and meshed into a friendship that was actually quite close despite only knowing a few things about each other.

His lone eye crinkled in a smile. He was still slightly surprised how hard she pushed herself, how determined she had become. What had ever happened when she disappeared for those three days gave her the strength to push herself harder than Naruto or Sasuke combined.

Kakashi practically had to lift her up the stairs to Tazuna's house.

She smiled as he held the door open for her and as she was leaning against the wall trying to take off her shoes. Kakashi had closed the door after them and took his shoes off relatively easy. "Mah, Sakura need any help?" He lazily waved his fingers at her.

She waved a hand dismissively, "I got it."

He shrugged and continued on into the house, "If you need help just shout."

She smiled and watched his retreating back for a second. She finally felt wanted in her own team. She shook her head and tried again to get her right shoe off with out toppling over in the process.

There was a thunk against the door making her jump and almost fall over while banging the back of her head into the wall behind her. "Ouch." She exclaimed rubbing the back of her head and opening the door.

A kunai with a paper attached to it was embed into the wood. The paper looked like a note and not an explosive tag. "What the?" She saw her name scribbled on the folded piece of paper.

She grabbed and yanked the Kunai out of the door, took the paper off of said kunai, then put the rounded handle into her mouth as she unfolded the piece of paper.

_Brat,_

_I figured your idea was something about talking to your Hokage about me and Haku joining your village. As much as I'd like to finally settle down I can't. Haku would be the only one allowed inside your village as he was never a recorded ninja making him basically civilian status. I on the other hand would not be let inside. I would be transported to Kiri and put on trial. _

_Thank you for your kind actions, you really didn't have to spare us. Considering your performance on the bridge Haku and I would not have survived. _

_I will take you up on your help. Take Haku, he should be passed out on the porch, with you. Give him what I should have given him. Take care of my son, girl. _

_Zabuza_

She blinked and blinked again. She looked over to the porch, sure enough Haku was laying flat on his back with a piece of paper wrapped tightly in his fist. She turned over her shoulder back to the inside of the house, "Sensei! I need your help!"

* * *

Sakura sighed and wrapped the towel around her head. She rubbed it into her hair to get rid of as much water as possible while walking down the hallway to her room clad in a pair of black loose boy shorts and a large white t-shirt for comfort. That shower had felt so good.

She opened the door with one hand as the other was still wringing her hair with the towel that obscured her vision. She stilled, something was off. Her senses spread quickly. Haku was awake, she almost sighed at that except for the fact that he had a kunai in his hand and was carving it into his wrists.

She acted instantly, grabbed the kunai, throwing him back onto his back as she sat a top of his chest straddling him. Both of her arms pinned down his hands slightly above his head, "Damn it, Haku." She breathed out staring down at his slightly surprised face, "Why?"

He blinked then adverted his eyes, "Get off of me."

She rolled her eyes but rolled off of him with kunai anyways. She got up and went to the desk for her pouch. She set the kunai down and searched for the bandages that she had stuck into the pouch back in Konoha. Once she found them she turned around to Haku whom had sat up to watch her move. She rolled her eyes again before walking up to him and grabbed his hand. She was going to grab his wrist but seeing as he bloodied it with the damn kunai she might not want to open the wounds any more then they already were.

She tugged him back to the bathroom and cleaned his wrists silently. She lightly tapped them dry with a dark towel, then started to wrap them with the bandages. "Why?" She asked very quietly still intently focused on wrapping the only slightly bleeding gouges in his skin.

"I'm a broken tool." He answered watching her hands as they moved with confidence.

She paused in her work to look up at him for a split second before continuing on with her movements, "You aren't a tool and most certainly not broken." She tied the bandage and moved to his other arm to start the process all over again. "I know it's hard," She gazed up at him for a second through her eyelashes, "He wouldn't have left you if he didn't care about you."

He didn't answer her and kept his attention on her hands. He looked so sad and confused. His father figure had almost literally thrown him to the side of the road. She didn't look back up at him. She knew that even if Zabuza did care about him, unless he was actually dying there wasn't any chance that he would give up his 'tool'. She continued working, that was it. Zabuza was dying and his dream, what ever it had been, was too dangerous or just not what he wanted Haku to do with out him.

She finished tying it off before she took both of his hands into her own and looked directly into his eyes, even if she had to duck a little and move her face under his head. "Zabuza-san wouldn't want you to just throw your life away, alright?" She could see the sadness in his eyes but the rest of his face was carefully neutral. "I don't want to see you cutting again, got it?"

She backed away and gathered the extra gauze to put away. She grabbed his hand again and lead him back to her room. She left him at the foot of the bed to go to her pouch. She had her back towards him, most ninja would frown at her behavior but she wanted to show she trusted him even if he didn't trust her back. "You can take the bed I'll sleep on the floor." She said gathering her sleeping bag to set it up next to the desk. She was sad that Inari and Hoori would have to be sleeping in Inari's room but she had to keep an eye on Haku.

She really didn't look at him and set up her own bedding, "Why did you stop me? Why do you care?" She paused half way crouched to place the material on the floor neatly.

"Honestly?" She peaked over her shoulder to him, "I really don't know. I could give you sappy answer in saying you caught my eyes and I want you but the truth is, what happened in the forest did make me see you in a different light. You aren't bad, more innocent than anything. I couldn't let that type of person leave, it'd make everything just that much more dreary." She set the material down and stood back up. "I'll be right back."

She didn't wait for any reply and walked out of the room to find Kakashi.

* * *

"Ne, sensei?" She poked her head into his room after knocking twice. "Did Hokage-sama answer you?"

He looked up from his book as he sat cross legged on top of his futon. "Ah yes, here." He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. She walked in to grab said piece of paper, "Also, tomorrow we are scheduled to finish the bridge. We leave in two days."

She nodded and took her leave.

She waited until she was out of the room to open the letter.

_Sakura,_

_I give you permission to bring 'Hoori' and 'Haku' to the village. However Haku will be taken into custody and tried to see if he can gain the title of a Konoha shinobi or if we will grant him just civilianship. Hoori and your self will have to fill out adoption papers at the orphanage as well. I would advise you send notice to your mother that you are adopting._

_Lord Hokage_

Some how she thought it was going to be a lot harder to get his 'blessing', she sighed and walked back into her room. Haku had taken over her sleeping bag. She would have probably made some sort of commotion about it but she was exhausted and needed to sleep.

She flicked the light off and crawled into the sheets still holding onto the short letter.

* * *

**Okay I can give every excuse in the book as to why this wasn't out a day ago and what not but honestly it was mainly I just got lazy. Well I had a little trouble filling in some plot holes that I left in some of my other chapters but I hope I wrapped up the wave arc pretty well. The next chapter will be some what of a time skip and then the fun really starts happening :D**

**I'm up for suggestions on Trophies, quests, and perks. Thank you and good night!**

**Ja Ne**


	15. Chapter 15

Sakura felt weird, she couldn't remember going to sleep with something tucked in her arms or something heavy draped over her side. She opened her eyes and got a face full of crimson red hair. She sighed. She was hugging Hoori to her chest and he was snuggling deeply into her, but that didn't explain the other weight that threatened to squish her. She almost face palmed, it was probably Inari.

Then she almost froze, when did they come in during the night? Then she almost slapped her self in anger, why didn't she notice them come in? She heard a soft sigh. "Need any help?" She tried to look around the red, seriously she did. She even got some of it in her mouth that left her scrapping her tongue against her teeth.

She tried to lift her head away but noticed that conveniently she couldn't, Inari was making moving that much harder. She hummed in agreement, still trying to get the hair out of her mouth.

She felt the weight disappear from her side and back, she could finally get the hair out of her mouth as she wriggled out of Hoori's arms and out of bed. She looked up to Haku gently holding Inari in his arms. She watched him set the boy back down where she had just been.

She smiled softly when the boys snuggled closer to each other.

"I'm sorry for last night." She turned to him, his voice was so soft. He looked normal, the blank mask that his face was pressed into, his eyes were the only things that gave him away. They glistened in sadness.

"It's okay." She reached out and grabbed onto his hand. "But we should probably rebandage them."

* * *

Sakura stretched as she came down the stairs dressed in a pair of black boy shorts and an equally black T-shirt that was slightly baggy but not to the point that it constricted movement. She took one step into the kitchen where she knew Tsunami was either preparing something or cleaning, she could hear her humming at the top of the stairs.

She yawned as she brought her arms down to her sides. She froze mid-step. She had a terrible sharp pain shoot through her lower abdomen. She stood absolutely still and pushed her legs together again in an attempt to lessen the pain. She breathed in then breathed back out. It had dulled enough that she could start moving again.

"Tsunami-chan?" She called watching the woman hum to herself as she put away some plates up higher in the cupboard than Sakura would be able to reach.

"Hmmm?" She looked over her shoulder briefly before focusing on her task.

"I have a question." Tsunami settled back down and turned to face Sakura full on, "My stomach hurts. It's been hurting for a little while."

The woman nodded her head, "Where exactly?"

Sakura ran her hand across her stomach slightly below her belly button.

"I see." Tsunami walked away from the cupboards, "You haven't noticed anything in your underwear, have you?"

Sakura's face turned pink. She felt around to make sure no one was there. Indeed it was just the two of them and the two little boys up stairs sleeping still. "No?" Honestly she hadn't checked yet, oh. OH. "Oh." Her eyes widened.

If she was truthful she could feel the slightly dampness of in between her legs. Tsunami gave her a sympathetic smile. "They hurt like hell, don't they?" She gently grabbed onto Sakura's shoulder and lead her out of the room and towards the bathroom that was connected to her own room.

* * *

Sakura grumbled underneath the on spray of the vaguely hot water that battered against her back. She was trying to rub the body wash into a lather to clean off all the sweat and grime she had gotten practicing the Kata's and working on Holy breath some more.

Her tiny chest was sore and tender. She refrained from moving her hands over the flat area as much as she could. She turned around to wash off the bubbles. She gritted her teeth. Why the hell were they hurting so much?

She turned again putting her back into the water again. She sighed then looked down only to look back up with a disgusted face. She had to clean down there, thoroughly. Oh how she hated being a woman.

* * *

Sakura woke up surprisingly alone. They were leaving today, she reminded herself quietly. She sat up, even Haku wasn't there. Did she sleep in? She shook her head took out the water scroll. Humming to herself she unsealed it.

Going over the Kata's in theory and in real life were two very different things but they were both needed and in this case she was studying only two different stances. Figuring out which muscle needed to be moved to get the movement from one into the next, which way to hold her hands, to what not to do with her feet. She was better at paper anyways, but she was going to change that.

* * *

She shifted Hoori slightly higher in her hold. Naruto had graciously taken her pack and Hoori thought a piggy back was exactly what he needed. Haku walked slightly in front of her and off to the left. Naruto and Sasuke were leading and arguing about who was stronger and then their usual bouts of 'dobe' and 'teme'. Kakashi was lingering behind a ways reading his ever present book.

The walk so far after wishing Tsunami and Inari farewell, both of which were in tears and begging Sakura and Hoori to stay a little bit longer, had been quiet. Not obsessively quiet, something's wrong. No just the typical, I'm thinking rather than talking type of quiet. Except for the bickering boys leading their train of ready to be home ninja's.

"Sakura, I have a few people in mind I would like you to meet some time after we get back." She looked up and over her shoulder past Hoori to Kakashi whom kept his eyes locked on his book but he threw a lazy wave her way. She smiled.

"Hai, sensei."

* * *

She nodded towards the gate guards and gently took Haku's hand in hers while still managing to keep Hoori on her back easily. She some what tugged and led the boy to the Hokage's tower.

"What do you want?" She looked at the secretary. Her eyes slightly narrowed. There in all her drop out glory was Ami Wannabee the stupid leader of the pack of bullies that harassed her during the academy.

"Ami. So nice to see you too." She said back sarcastically. "I'm depositing him off. Hokage's orders. Oh and this note must make it to him as well. It is very important, ninja business you know? Oh that's right you wouldn't." She said smugly handing over a letter and nudging Haku forward. "Thanks so much." She said extremely sweetly. "Now I'm off, buh bye."

She waggled her fingers at the two before exiting the tower with Hoori fast asleep on her back. Time to go get those papers and then face her mother. Papers sounded more enticing to deal with. She took off towards the orphanage.

* * *

**Okay so she is in Konoha once more! Finally. Anyways I apologize that this chapter was just small snippits of different scenes but I orginally just planned on making this a time skip... Instead I kind of filled this with little tid bits of a set up for the next chapter.**

**I will probably make a few of you hate me in the next chapter but it will have it's perks and plans in the up coming chapters.**

**I was just wondering how long would you like me to make the time between this mission and the chunin exams?**


	16. Chapter 16

She breathed in then out. Her nerves were frayed as she neared the door. How was she going to tell her? _Hey mom, meet your grandson Hoori. _Pft, like that would go down well. She swallowed and slightly nudged him awake.

He blinked and raised his head up off of her shoulder, "Where are we?"

"Hoori-chan, we're going to meet your Obaa-san." Oh that was so weird just saying it out loud.

"Obaa-san?" He slipped out of her hold and onto the floor. He grabbed onto her hand as they turned to look at the door. "Are you going to knock?" He asked quietly after a moment or two of just staring.

"No." She reached forward and opened the door, quickly followed by taking in a deep breath before pressing her weight forward and into the house. The sudden change in temperature left the both of them with chattering teeth. Curse her mother for keeping the air on fifty. It was too cold for anything.

She shifted uncomfortably. Her mounds were hurting again, this time it was caused by the cold hardening the already sensitive buds. This was taking too long. All she wanted to do was go up to her room, curl up under those huge blankets and eat some chocolate. She blamed that last thought on the stupid bloody mess she had to change soon.

"Kaa-chan?" She called out softly while taking her shoes off, Hoori copied her actions after gently closing the door behind them.

"Your back?" The female voice bounced off the walls from the direction of the kitchen.

"Yes." She sighed. This was probably not some thing her mother wanted to deal with. They had left not on good terms. She remembered repeatedly saying to quit babying her and that she was a ninja. She paused to rubbed her palm against her forehead.

She continued on after dropping her hand to Hoori's. They walked into the living room that had a kitchen bar as one wall, looking over to said bar she could see her mothers blond locks swaying slightly and the white dress with her father's clans symbol on the back.

"Kaa-chan, I uh-" She paused how was she supposed to fucking say this? "I, um, adopted?"

She really didn't mean to pose it as a question but well it came out that way. She watched her mothers head snap towards them. Her green eyes narrowed. She pursed her lips. Clicked her tongue and promptly ignored the two.

Sakura felt a twitch make it's way to her forehead. "His name is Hoori."

Her mother didn't deign to raise her eyes to throw the glare she had at them, instead her cutting of the veggies became louder and slightly sloppier. When she was done she swung the knife up and lodged it into the wood of her cutting board. "God damn it."

Sakura stayed quiet.

"First you don't care what I have to say about your career, then you bring home a child whom I only assume will be following your foot steps." Her mother stared at her, her eyes hard and slightly broken. "Just like you said before, your not a child anymore. You are a ninja, an adult. I want you out of my house in a week. I don't want you as my child anymore. I've had too much shame come to our name because of you, I'm done." She turned her back to Sakura.

"What shame?" Sakura asked venom leaking from her words. "Tou-san would have been proud of what I've become."

"Do not speak of Kizashi, you stupid girl. You're the reason he's dead." Her mother didn't turn around to face her.

Sakura stopped cold. Her mother never blamed her for it before. She felt tears in her eyes, "I see." She turned around and lunged her shoes back on. Hoori did the same and followed out after her.

* * *

She stalked her way to the nearest training ground, Hoori was finding it very difficult keeping up with her. She wasn't angry, no she was hurt and betrayed. Her heart felt like it was breaking into pieces over and over again. This felt ten times worse than the incident with Sasuke that had lead her to finding the game.

This all started with that damn moment. If he wasn't such an ass she wouldn't have run away, she wouldn't have pushed herself, she wouldn't have found that stupid book, she wouldn't have helped Hoori, she wouldn't have made those bonds with Tsunami and Inari, she wouldn't have been kicked out of her own home, and her mother wouldn't hate her as much.

No, she shook her head, him being an ass let her start her life over. Opened her eyes to what she was doing wrong, everything. She now had a son, and two very loving friends from a different country. She had the means of becoming a very strong individual with the capabilities to protect all of those around her. She had the means to complete her own dream that she had pushed to the back ground to make room for an impossible one. There was no way in hell that she'd end up as Miss Sakura Uchiha, and honestly she could care less.

She stopped at the tree line in the training ground she had thought was unused but it had the same beaten trees around the edges that most training grounds did. Hoori was panting slightly behind her as he came to a stop. She dropped to her knees and curled up against the bark of a nearby tree. She really didn't want to cry, didn't want to appear weak in front of him but she couldn't hold them in anymore.

They tumbled out of her slammed shut eyes, ran haphazardly down her face, some even got into her mouth. She could taste the bitterness on her tongue and she sobbed, good and hard.

"Kaa-chan?" Hoori placed his hands on her knees. He looked at her face worriedly, she was never this fragile.

She shook her head and placed her hands over his. "Baa-san just told me some horrible things. I'll be okay, I'm just hurt." She cradled her head into the space between her knees and he lowered his forehead to the crown of her own.

"If you didn't bring me back, she had not said those mean things?" He questioned kneeling down and placing his knees on either side of her ankles.

"Even if it was just me, she hates what I do. She has been trying to find any way to finally get me out of there." She leaned back and removed her head, her tears had slowly subsided but the tracks still lingered on her cheeks. "Hoori-chan, don't you dare think that I would ever regret taking you in."

She tried to give him a smile, instead it came out lopsided and tired. "Kaa-chan?" He asked as he wormed his way into her embrace. Sitting between her legs and his head resting against her tender breasts, his little arms tucked her hands against his stomach.

"Hmmm?" She placed her head on top of his head, shifted her legs to where they circled around Hoori's body.

"What are you going to do?"

She breathed out, "First, I need to go to the hospital, then a good talk with the Hokage is in order." She didn't make a move to get up though. She tilted her head and laid her cheek onto the mop of red, closing her eyes she started to hum.

* * *

"I'll be right back okay?" She patted Hoori's head and followed after the lady dressed in a white nurse uniform.

"The doctor will be with you in a moment." The lady said guiding her into a room before placing a folder into a plastic cuby the stuck out of the wall just off to the side of the door frame.

Sakura sat her self up on top of the examination table. Swinging her legs back and forth she eyed the posters of different body parts that hung on the walls. It was too white in here, besides the color on the posters the only other color was the navy blue of the table her rump was resting on at the moment.

She sighed, she had to seriously change the pad soon. It was uncomfortable having something soaking up her blood in between her legs, she could feel the edges of it scrap against the insides of her thighs when she walked. It was certainly an experience that she already hated.

There was a rap at the door, she jumped slightly, before the door opened to reveal a woman in a white doctor's coat thumbing through a file. Probably her file. "Haruno? What's the point of this visit?" She didn't look up after closing the door behind her and setting the file onto the desk that lined the left wall. It had swabs and cotton balls, and tons of medical instruments that she couldn't place the names.

"I broke a few ribs on a mission, they stopped hurting a while ago but I'd still like to make sure they're okay." She pause. "Oh and my um..." She paused again and pressed her hands against her chest. "Are sore and very tender."

She heard the lady laugh before she looked over to her amused face. "Oh sweety that just means their growing. Don't worry after a while it'll just itch. I don't know what I'd like better, the itching or the hurting." She chuckled and stood from the stool she had seated herself on. "Now which side were the ribs hurt on?" She walked forward her hands running through some hand signs.

"My left." She moved her arm out of the way as the woman placed her green glowing hands against her chest.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. The woman was poking and prodding her ribs, resetting some of them. She'd wince and then bite her tongue when she would want to start crying.

When she finally did pull away from her ribs she let out a sigh of relief. She finally felt whole again. She could breathe properly and not like something was bothering her. "They weren't too bad."

She looked up at the doctor and raised an eyebrow.

"It seemed as if your own body was ignoring the pain that you should have been in. The nerves that were supposed to be firing signals to your brain needed some prodding, it was almost as if they were asleep." Her brow furrowed, "It was probably the most bizarre thing I've ever seen medically..." She trailed off and took the latex gloves, that Sakura had just became aware of, off. She trailed back to her folder. "I wonder if it would be considered some type of reflex, or maybe it was just your attempt at healing them on your own?" She shook her head and wrote a few notes in the folder. "Or just a medical anomaly." She shrugged. "Well, Haruno-san you're free to go. They are all healed and I would recommend getting some pain meds for your new monthly friend."

She waved as she exited through the door. Sakura sighed and jumped off of the table. Well that went better than she originally thought. Though now she had to wonder just what went on inside of her body to make it an medical anomaly.

* * *

"Back again?" Ami snorted as Sakura and Hoori entered the tower.

"Ami." Sakura greeted before continuing on, completely ignoring the remarks of 'you can't go back there, stupid forehead girl!' She came to a pair of double doors. The Hokage's office. She had never been here before. She swallowed quietly and pounded her fist against the door softly.

"Come in." His voice was muffled but that was to be expected coming through the door.

She pushed it open and peaked her head in, Sarutobi was setting down a scroll after signing it and rolling it back up.

"Ah, Sakura, come in, come in." He waved beckoning towards her. She let herself in, Hoori trailed slightly behind her and closed the door after he came in. "This must be Hoori?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She gave him a small bow, Hoori copied her actions.

"What is exactly the reason behind this visit? I assume it's not for me to meet Hoori-kun." He laced his fingers together in front of his mouth.

"No Hokage-sama." She sighed and slumped her shoulders a little. "I need your help."

* * *

**Well I had higher hopes for this chapter...Sadly I had to just shoulder through it. The mom-Sakura argument was supposed to be a lot more dramatic but alas I'm pathetic and couldn't think of a good way to argue between them.**

**I would like to know how many of you would kill me if I took away the title of Ninja from Haku.**

**I love you guys!**

**Ja Ne**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry if any one thinks Sakura is turning into a Marry Sue, I really am trying not to portray her as such. She has her own story line that, yes, has links to the cannon story but at the same time she's writing a different story. Her enemy is not the same as cannon. Even if I have to make a new character all together to show you this I will.**

**Now on with the story.**

* * *

She sighed and grabbed the nearest branch to hoist herself up and into the trees again. Damn it, She thought, stop getting distracted.

She stood on top of the now swaying branch. The wind was picking up badly, her hair flew all around her face as it was sliced out of its braided hold from the jutsu only the Professor of Shinobi could make. She smiled in remembrance of handing the book over to the Hokage and how he had puffed on that stupid pipe as he read. Then after he had finished going through everything, even after telling her that it said she had completed another quest, bringing her a thousand xp points closer to leveling up to six. She had gotten twenty skill points bringing her count up to one hundred and thirty-five. She however didn't gain any perk points. Instead she had gained 600 yen. That quest was the protect Tazuna one.

She smiled as he said he would like a spar to engage what she could show with how very little the mastery of her skills were now. Everything was amazing and so far she had put up a decent fight, even if most of it was spent running and hiding then running some more.

She had originally tried to find a body of water, the ice would probably work better if she already had water to work with, but he had chosen the one training field that did not have any water on it what-so-ever. That put her at a disadvantage. She couldn't try the ice, and she felt more comfortable around water, on top of it, or even underneath it. Plus, she still wasn't smooth enough to use her water styled taijutsu against him, all she would do was probably make a fool of herself.

The wind picked up even more as her body got swept up into the current and off of the branch.

She landed in a heap at the Hokage's feet. He wasn't wearing his robes during this time. She had actually smiled when he showed up with out them. It meant he was going to take this as seriously as he would if it had been one of his own students showing up for the spar.

"Very good, Sakura, but you didn't use any of the skills your book says you have bought." He said extending a hand to help her up off the ground.

She reached out and took the surprisingly gentle hand, "I truly can't. It's weird the book says I have the skill, yet it is almost impossible for me to actually pull the move off. Even if I did it once already."

He nodded his head in return, "That actually makes sense." She furrowed her eyebrows in question, "In life people must practice and come to the knowledge of how everything works. Your book may have given you the means to make it possible to use the skill, but it seems as if it would like to make you work at the skills to figure it out on your own. By that way it would make you that much stronger." She didn't undo the knot that was working in the middle of her forehead as she took in his words. "It seems as though your book is just opening the doors for you. You will have to be the one to enter the doors and take the creatures they contain by the reins, to bend them to your will. In other words all this book really is doing is being your guide but at the same time it gives away no clues on how each skill is preformed making it your job for the trial and error part."

"Its supposed to make me grow as a person?" She deduced from his lecture like thought, "I wouldn't feel privileged like the others if it would make me work to achieve the level of skill that it is offering me."

"That's what I can tell from your book and how it has affected your body." He nodded as her eyebrows went back to normal. "However, it looks as if the trophy section of your 'game' automatically alters your bodies functions. If it had a list of trophies you could earn we could better see how that works exactly."

Sakura nodded slowly. She sort of already knew most of what he was thinking aloud. She had taken the rest of the prior day to figure more of the book out. She however did not spend a single point allowed to her though. Sure she probably should have spent at least some of the stat points she had earned but she wanted to grab her skills by the reins and at the moment it was definitely harder than she had thought before hand. "I never thought of it like that."

"Some times a little help from a different perspective goes a long way." He spoke cryptically holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

"I just wish we could find the game creator so they could explain what exactly happens in this book." She took his hand and stood up. She dusted off her black boy shorts and the black tank top she had gotten from wave.

"I'd like to ask them a few questions." He agreed and they began the walk back to the tower. "Now about your living situation..."

She turned to him but kept walking forward.

"The boy you brought in with you is currently being tested. However I know for certain if they decide that he will have the option of becoming a ninja he will first have to wait until next graduation date. He will have to start from the beginning like every shinobi does." He had his arms folded behind his back as he walked.

"I see."

"As such he will be a civilian for at least six months."

"Okay?"

"I would like to put him under your care until those six months are up."

She narrowed her eyes slightly thinking it over. It would help with paying the bills if he had to have a civilians job for a little while. "I accept."

"We will provide the apartment until the six months are over, Sakura. I trust that will be enough time for you?" He turned his head towards her.

"Yes thank you." She gave him a bright smile with a nod.

"I have meetings for the rest of the day, come by tomorrow and we will get everything in order."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." She gave him an awkward bow, her hips were still facing forward but her shoulders faced him.

He gave a chuckle and waved goodbye.

* * *

Sakura let out a little laugh. She threw herself backwards, her back landing against the grass. Hoori giggled next to her. "Oh, Ho-chan." They were in the training fields just sitting in the grass enjoying the rest of the day.

Hoori rolled himself up onto her stomach while she continued to laugh at the prank he had pulled on Naruto who was supposed to be watching him this morning. "Naru-oji-chan is funny." He smiled.

She laughed again, "How mad was he when you called him that?" She ruffled his hair then folded her arms behind her head.

"He said he wasn't old." The boy nodded then placed his head against her bosom and closed his eyes.

"The Hokage told me he has a place for us." She spoke softly and stared up at the slow moving clouds. She could see how Shikamaru could stay like this for hours. "Ho-chan, do you remember Haku-san?"

"Haku-san? The guy ka-chan brought home with us?" He didn't lift his head but he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Yes." She sighed softly, "He will be living with us Ho-chan."

"Okay." He murmured falling asleep on top of her.

* * *

**I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. My daily life has suddenly picked up the pace and I'm scrambling to catch up. **

**After the next chapter I will most likely do a time skip. Yes I will actually do the time skip. Then the Chunin exams arc starts off with a bang! :D**

**Question: Who is your favorite Naruto character?**

**Ja Ne**


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